CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 05/23/18

Insect scouting is an important part of any vegetable management plan

By Becky Griffin

Whether you work on a large family farm, in a home vegetable garden, or in a small, community garden vegetable plot, routinely scouting for insects should be an important part of your vegetable-growing plan.

Insect pests can be a costly problem in vegetables. The life cycles of some insect pests are so short that missing just one week of scouting can lead to an increase in pests and damaged crops.

Scouting involves carefully and deliberately walking though the garden and looking for insects on a routine basis. Inspect the leaves, fruits and vegetables. Check the undersides of leaves and the stems. 

Insects often deposit eggs on the undersides of leaves, and evidence of boring insects can be seen on plant stems. If you can’t identify an insect, contact your local University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for assistance. Do not automatically apply insecticide.

Remove insect eggs by removing the entire leaf, folding the leaf over on itself and smashing the eggs. If you want to preserve the leaf, use sticky tape to remove the eggs. Place the tape on top of the egg mass and gently pull to remove the eggs. Fold the tape over on itself and smash the eggs.

Eggs like these are easy to miss if you don’t routinely scout your garden. It’s easier to deal with squash bug eggs than manage the over 30 squash bugs that could mature from these eggs.

Learning about common insect pests for the food crops you are growing can be very helpful. Leaf-footed bugs (Leptoglossus spp.) are a problem for tomatoes, while squash bugs are pests found in cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Aphids (Aphidoidea superfamily) are a common problem, especially when plants are full of liquid, after a rain, or when plants are growing quickly. Mexican bean beetles (Epilachna varivestis) can easily destroy a bean crop, but these insects are sometimes mistaken for beneficial lady beetles. 

Around 3 percent of insects are pests, so the insects you find in your garden don’t always cause problems. Don’t assume every insect you find is a bad bug. Take the time to learn about beneficial insects, such as assassin bugs, parasitic wasps and lady beetles, that can be tremendous allies in your garden. Often these insects need floral resources, so the plants you add to attract pollinators will also help other beneficial insects.

Scouting is just one tool of an integrated pest management (IPM) program. Other IPM tools to consider:

  • Altering planting times to miss large insect populations
  • Using trap crops
  • Starting with healthy soil
  • Keeping the garden clean of debris
  • Hand-pulling weeds
  • Creating a habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators
  • Watering wisely
  • Using plants that are proven to do well in your area

For additional information about insect scouting, insect identification, or pollinator or beneficial insect gardening, contact your local UGA Extension agent at 1-800-ASK-UGA1.

Becky Griffin is a community and school garden coordinator with UGA Extension.

Authors:
Becky Griffin
Experts/Sources:
Becky Griffin
Insect scouting is an important part of any vegetable management plan.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.
Download Image
SilverleafWhitefly CAES News
CAES researchers secure $4 million to tackle silverleaf whitefly problem 01/11/24 Emily Cabrera
A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently renewed a $4 million contract with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service to build upon their previous work to develop targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of silverleaf whiteflies on vegetable production in the Southeast. UGA entomologist Allen Moore leads the research team in collaboration with USDA ARS in Charleston, South Carolina.
Fig1 Cucurbit anthracnose web CAES News
CAES leads effort to tackle emerging threat to watermelon, cucumber production 12/07/23 Jordan Powers
Seven East Coast states harvested nearly 102,000 acres of watermelon and cucumber in 2019 and 2020, representing more than 62% ($410 million) and 45% ($180 million) of the U.S. production of the two crops, respectively. Growers of cucurbits — which include melons, pumpkin, squash and cucumbers — face numerous challenges in production, leading to decreased profitability and less produce on grocery shelves.
Image submitted by Melissa Mitchum showing SCN impact in field and under microscope. CAES News
CAES researchers spearhead development of new soybean cyst nematode-resistant cultivars 12/01/23
Plant-parasitic nematodes cause billions of dollars in annual yield losses and represent a major impediment to meeting the challenge of feeding an ever-growing global population. One plant-parasitic nematode, the soybean cyst nematode, has been a long-standing focus of research and innovation in the Melissa G. Mitchum Lab at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Orange spores emerge from southern rust pustules on a corn leaf. The fungal spores associated with this disease can be carried long distances on wind currents from surrounding states. (Submitted photo) CAES News
As corn rust blows into south Georgia, producers should be on the lookout 06/26/23 Maria M. Lameiras
The first cases of southern corn rust for the 2023 growing season were discovered on Tuesday, June 20 and Wednesday June 21 in Clinch and Grady Counties , along the Georgia-Florida line. University of Georgia Extension experts are encouraging producers to be diligent in scouting for the fast-spreading disease among their corn crops.
While blueberries are known to be susceptible to postharvest injuries, resulting in fruit softening or splitting during harvest, handling and storage, UGA researchers are trying to figure out why some crops experience greater losses. CAES News
CAES researchers examine blueberry quality issues for Georgia producers 01/20/23 Maria M. Lameiras
A multidisciplinary team of University of Georgia agriculture experts are working to determine causes and solutions to postharvest quality problems that have hit Georgia’s blueberry growers hard in recent seasons. Funded by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Office of Research and UGA Cooperative Extension, the project will address “major issues” with fruit quality, particularly in rabbiteye blueberries.
Fall armyworm larvae have a white inverted Y-shaped mark on the front of their dark head. They are smooth skinned and vary in color from light tan or green to nearly black, with three yellowish-white hairlines down the back. The larval stage lasts from three to four weeks and can be damaging to turfgrass and crops. (Photo by USDA Agricultural Research Service Photo Unit, Bugwood.org) CAES News
Armyworms are marching across Georgia turfgrass 09/02/22 William G. Tyson
Over the past couple of weeks, I have received numerous calls from curious homeowners and frustrated farmers regarding the dreaded fall armyworm. Damage to established turf is most often aesthetic. However, newly planted sod or sprigs can be severely damaged or even killed by fall armyworm feeding.