Nelson County Master Gardeners

Garden Insects / Pests

1. The pest caterpillars of cole crops in Virginia

   Caterpillars, or the larval stage of Lepidoptera, are probably the most damaging of insect groups that
   feed on cole crops, such as collard, kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and
   Chinese cabbage. Caterpillars typically feed on foliage reducing marketability or outright killing plants.
   The most common and damaging caterpillars in Virginia cole crops are diamondback moth (DBM),
   cabbage looper (CL), and imported cabbageworm (ICW). In addition to these key species, there are
   several other species of caterpillars that will be observed feeding on cole crops that may or may not be a
   threat to yield of the crop. These species are summarized in Table 1. Normally pest management is
   meant to target all caterpillars, treating them as one pest “complex;” however, there are some
   noteworthy differences between the caterpillar species in their life histories and feeding behaviors where
   proper identification is sometimes necessary.

2. Pesticide Applicator Manuals
3. Wireworm control experiment in potatoes in Abingdon, VA in 2011
4. Compact Soil Sampling Strategy for White Grubs

   Annual white grubs (WG) are early-season pests attacking corn seeds and seedlings (Figure 1). Heavy WG infestations can cause stand and yield losses of up to 20%. Because grubs occur in the soil, their presence in fields and subsequent damage to corn may go unnoticed until too late. Also, 30% overwintering mortality in WG densities is typical in VA. Insecticidal seed treatments such as clothianidin (Poncho^TM) and thiamethoxam (Cruiser^TM) are the tools of choice for controlling soil insect pests. Growers typically must decide whether to purchase insecticide-treated seed well in advance of spring planting.

5. Arthropod Pest Management Research on Vegetables in Virginia – 2010

   This booklet contains arthropod pest management research conducted on vegetable crops in eastern Virginia in 2010. If not noted otherwise in the individual reports, all research was conducted at the Virginia Tech Eastern Shore Agricultural Research and Extension Center near Painter, VA and at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach, VA. All plots were maintained according to standard commercial practices. Soil type at the ESAREC is a Bojac Sandy Loam. Soil type at the HRAREC is tetotum loam (average pH: 5.7). Most of the research involves field evaluations of federally‐labeled and experimental insecticides. Much of the information presented herein will be published in a similar format in Arthropod Management Tests: 2011, vol. 36 (Entomological Society of America). We hope that this information will be of value to those interested in insect pest management on vegetable crops, and we wish to make the information accessible. All information, however, is for informational purposes only. Because most of the data from the studies are based on a single season’s environmental conditions, it is requested that the data not be published, reproduced, or otherwise taken out of context without the permission of the authors. The authors neither endorse any of the products in these reports nor discriminate against others. Additionally, some of the products evaluated are not commercially available and/or not labeled for use on the crop(s) in which they were used.