LATEST POSTS
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Question of the Week – Hover Fly Larva
What is this maggot-looking insect on the bottom of this strawberry leaf? This is a hover fly larva. Hover flies (Syrphidae), also called syrphid flies, are common bee-mimicking flies that are often seen hovering around flowers and landing on your sweaty skin on a hot day (they’re attracted to the salt in your sweat). Not…
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Deep Dive into Irrigation and Fertilizers
On the 15th of each month, a new podcast episode will drop that takes a deep dive into a timely topic. This month, Zack Snipes sat down with Gilbert Miller, Watermelon Extension Specialist, to discuss the ins and outs of irrigating and fertilizing vegetable crops. You don’t want to miss this episode. Find it under…
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Weekly Field Update – 4/15/24
Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Check out Extension Vegetable Pathologist Tony Keinath’s latest article in Growing Produce: Choose Cover Crops that Suppress Pathogens in Your Vegetable Plantings. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange…
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Question of the Week – Ambrosia Beetle
What caused this small, toothpick-like mass of sawdust to protrude from from the trunk of this stressed peach tree? The small toothpick-like mass of sawdust protruding from the tree is often called a “frass toothpick” or “frass noodle”. The structure was created by an adult Ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus spp.) female tunneling into the tree. …
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Weekly Field Update – 4/8/24
Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Check out Extension Vegetable Pathologist Tony Keinath’s latest article in Growing Produce: Choose Cover Crops that Suppress Pathogens in Your Vegetable Plantings. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange…
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Question of the Week – Parasitized Aphid
What is the bloated tan thing found on the underside of this strawberry leaf? This is an aphid “mummy,” the lifeless body of an aphid that has been parasitized by a parasitoid wasp. Typically, the adult wasps are tiny, at only 0.08-0.12 inches long. The female wasp lays its eggs inside of the aphid. The…
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