Tag: south carolina
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Question of the Week – Periodical Cicada
What is this red-eyed creature found crawling up a pine tree? This is a periodical cicada nymph that has just crawled out of the soil after 13 years of feeding and developing underground, and is now looking for a place to molt. Parts of South Carolina, including the Upstate and parts of the Midlands, are…
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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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Question of the Week – Brown Lacewing
What is this critter that was found resting on the wall inside of a garage? This is another beneficial insect: a brown lacewing. Brown lacewings are smaller than the more common green lacewings, though both are voracious predators of soft-bodied insects, particularly aphids, mealybugs, small caterpillars, and mites. Whereas green lacewings lay their eggs at…
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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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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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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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Weekly Field Update – 4/1/24
Our Spring meeting season is starting to wind down, but keep an eye on the Upcoming Events tab periodically, so you don’t miss anything. Coming up this week is the Upstate Vegetable Production Meeting in Spartanburg. The EPA recently published an updated list of chlorpyrifos products allowed for use on food crops. See that list…
The South Carolina Grower 