Tag: caterpillars
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Weekly Field Update – 5/13/24

Cucurbit downy mildew was found in the state this past week on cucumbers in Charleston. All commercial cucurbit growers need to be on the look out and start preventative fungicide applications, if not already started. See details below. Keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically so you don’t miss anything. Also, check out…
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Weekly Field Update – 5/6/24

Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically so you don’t miss anything. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast below. Don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Be sure…
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Weekly Field Update – 4/29/24

Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically so you don’t miss anything. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast below. Don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Be sure…
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Weekly Field Update – 4/22/24

Our Spring meeting season is winding down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Also, check out the latest episode of the SC Grower Exchange Podcast below. Don’t forget to look at our Resources tab for links to crop handbooks, helpful websites, and related blogs. Be sure…
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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 – Melonworm

This week, the question was: What made the hole in this squash blossom? This hole was most likely made by a melonworm. A hole this size is actually an exit hole chewed by the worm on its way out to pupate. Before that, the worm was inside the bloom feeding on the reproductive parts of…
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The Pesky Caterpillar Pests of Cucurbit Crops: Part 2

From Extension Vegetable Entomologist Tom Bilbo Last week, we covered identification and management strategies for the squash vine borer, the first of three common cucurbit caterpillar pests. This week, we will discuss the other two. Melonworm (Diaphania hyalinata) and Pickleworm (D. nitidalis) These closely related insects are tropical species that are only known to overwinter…
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The Pesky Caterpillar Pests of Cucurbit Crops: Part 1

From Extension Vegetable Entomologist Tom Bilbo There are three common caterpillar pests that plague growers of cucurbits in South Carolina and elsewhere throughout the Southeast: the squash vine borer (SVB), the pickleworm, and the melonworm. All three are specialist herbivores of cucurbits, which means they (the caterpillar stage) only feed on cucurbits and are specially…
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Weekly Field Update – 10/10/22

A big congratulations to Kerrie Roach as she is transitioning to a new role as a Nursery Inspector with the Clemson Department of Plant Industry (DPI). Kerrie has served Extension and the great folks of Oconee, Anderson, and Pickens Counties extremely well in her 6 years as a horticulture agent. We will miss Kerrie very…
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Weekly Field Update – 6/27/22

Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom to see this week’s Question of the Week and check back on Thursday for the answer! Coastal Region Zack Snipes reports, “It is hot and very, very dry in the Lowcountry. We desperately need some rain on the coast. Many irrigation ponds are at very…