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ACORN
NEWSLETTER
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Table
of Contents
Links………….…….1 Featured Natural Enemy: Green
Lacewing………….2 Featured Alternative
Control: Floating Row Cover…………4 |
ACORN
News
ØThe
ACORN- Alternative Control Guide will be available to the public on
December 1, 2001. You can use
this guide to plan your garden and to explore the alternatives available
for controlling vegetable pests. We
encourage you to preview this guide and send us your feedback <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/cropsearch.asp>. Ø Please
fill out the pesticide survey if you attended (whether you conducted
experiments or not) one of our workshops in 2001. ØOur
First Annual Research Round Up was a success.
Participating gardeners discussed the 2001 experiment results
and gave us ideas that would improve our workshops and research protocols. For more info on the research round up visit
<http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/fallroundupsummary.htm> Ø We are looking for volunteers to repeat the new and improved experiments in Spring 2002. Please contact Farah Heraux at farah_heraux@entm.purdue.edu to sign up. ACORN needs your help! Ø Would you like to have a workshop held in your county or your State? We will be glad to do it! Please contact Farah Heraux at farah_heraux@entm.purdue.edu or (765) 494-1422. Ø Wisconsin workshops are rescheduled for May 6 thru 8. Specific locations will be announced later. Some
Useful Links
- Purdue University- Pest
Activity and Disease Updates http://www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/Educator_updates.html
- Weed Identification http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/weeds/index-thumbnail.asp
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Featured Natural Enemy: Green Lacewing
Introduction: Green lacewing
larvae are voracious predators found in most environments. The larvae are commonly called
aphidlions.
Appearance: Eggs are oval shaped and pale green. They will turn gray before hatching. The female lacewing suspends each egg on leaves or twigs at the end of threadlike stalks.
Larvae are light brown with some pale yellow areas. They have an alligator-like shape with large pincers protruding from the head. No wings! To see picture on ACORN Alternative Control Guide at <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/nedetail.asp?NEID=8&session=8>.
Adults are long, slender and pale green. The wings are transparent and lace-like. They have long and slender antennae and golden eyes. To see picture on ACORN Alternative Control Guide at <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/nedetail.asp?NEID=8&session=8>.
Size: Egg: Size of a period on a printed page.
Larva: length of an “i” on a printed page with regular font (1/16 inch) to length of an uncooked red bean (1/3 inch).
Adult: 1/2-3/4 inch long, the width of your thumb nail.
How They Kill Pests: The larva seizes and punctures its prey with its large pincers, injects a paralyzing fluid and sucks out the body fluids of the prey. The larva will feed for a period of two- to three-week before pupating.
Who They Kill: (For more information on these pests see <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/cropsearch.asp>)
European Corn Borer
Onion Thrips
Two-spotted Spider Mite
Corn Earworm or Tomato Fruitworm
Leafhopper
Potato Leafhopper
Colorado Potato Beetle
Common Asparagus Beetle
Leafminer
Fall Armyworm
Cutworm
Diamondback Moth
Imported Cabbageworm
Cabbage Looper
·
Plant
flowering plants such as angelica,
wild lettuce, golden marguerite, dill, coriander or cilantro.
o Adult lacewings feed on nectar, pollen or
honeydew as food before laying eggs.
Adult lacewings are generally not voracious.
·
Provide a
moisture source by keeping your garden watered.
o Young larvae need moisture or they dry out.
Should You Release Lacewings in Your Garden?
·
Many commercial
suppliers sell green lacewing eggs or larvae (See ACORN web site Related Links
for List of Suppliers of Beneficial Insects).
· The lacewing larvae are quite mobile. They will travel 80 to 100 feet search of prey. In home gardens, the suppliers typically recommend 5 to 10 lacewing eggs per plant.
· In our cabbage studies ACORN researchers found the eggs just rolled off on to the ground, leaving the larvae to die before they eat any pests. This year we are developing methods to release larvae. If this question interests you, please sign up to do an experiment <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/tactics.asp>
Source: Biological Control News vol.1 no.3, Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Featured
Alternative Control: Floating Row Covers
What is a Floating Row Cover?
It is a lightweight material made of non-woven material that allows
light and water to pass through it.
Why Use a Floating Row Cover in Your Garden?
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To protect
plants from insects. Beware that if an
insect emerges from the soil below the row cover, it will be trap inside it and
will damage your plants.
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Floating row
covers can be especially useful for non-flowering crops (e.g. broccoli) that
are attacked by many pests.
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To trap heat
from the sun to prolong the growing season (protect from frost in early spring
and late fall).
Why Use a Floating Row Cover on Zucchini Squash?
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Exclude key
pests of zucchini when combined with crop rotation:
o Cucumber beetle larva chews on roots
and stems and can cause considerable damage. Adults chew on leaves and fruits,
and can transmit bacterial wilt that kills plants.
o Squash plant bug adult and nymph suck plant sap. As squash bugs feed on leaves, small, yellow specks develop that later turn brown. Feeding on stems kills the plant from the point of feeding.
o Squash vine borer larva bores into vines causing them to wilt and die.
What is ACORN Doing with Floating Row Covers?
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In 2001, we had
20 gardeners experimenting with floating row cover (FRC). To prevent complications due to exclusion of
pollinators FRC’s were removed at the onset of flower production. No significant differences were found between
plants with FRCs and those without FRCs.
See 2001 experiment results for details <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/2k1sum.htm>.
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In 2002, we
will repeat the study with modifications that allow experimenters to
hand-pollinate flowers and keep covers on longer. We need volunteers to help us <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/tactics.asp>.
Cost of Floating Row Cover:
Floating row cover costs
approximately $8 for a piece 61 in. x 25ft.
How are We Doing?
ACORN wants to hear form YOU! Send us an email or visit the bulletin board
on the website < http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/bb_main.asp>.
ACORN is listening!
If you have any inputs for us or any comments
please visit the bulletin board on the website at <http://entm29.entm.purdue.edu/acorn/bb_main.asp>.