Page 18 - Griffin Gazette Issue 3 - 2021
P. 18
HOW DO I TELL WHAT IS WHAT ARE THE MOST
BETWEEN GOOD BUGS SCOUTING? IMPORTANT TOOLS FOR
AND BAD BUGS? GROWERS TO HAVE ON
HAND FOR SCOUTING?
This can be a difficult question Scouting is the process of
to answer because its based inspecting crops for signs A few simple tools can have
on a number of things. First we of disease, insect, mite, or a tremendous impact on your
want to look for signs that our nutritional issues. We also scouting practices. Growers
insect and mite suspects are scout for both good and bad should invest in a hand lens or
causing damage to our plants. bugs, especially when we are other magnifying device. Many
Are we seeing a slowdown in releasing predators as part of pests that prey on cannabis,
growth, distortion or damage our IPM programs. Scouting is hemp, and other crops, are
to leaves, or lots of frass (insect a central part of keeping a crop too small to make an easy
poop)? These can be signs healthy from beginning to end. identification with just the
that a harmful insect has taken Some growers scout weekly, naked eye. A second simple
up residence. We also want while others might scout tool that growers should use
to look at the behavior of our daily. While labor intensive, for monitoring pest activity is
suspects. If we observe them scouting pays off in the long a yellow sticky card, which
on our plants, are we seeing run by identifying issues and should be hung strategically and
them feed on plant material, or correcting them before they inspected once per week. A
are we seeing them chase down become crop-killers. Early final tool is the beat test, which
other insects? Many times it’s detection of issues is especially involves shaking or “beating”
obvious, such as in the case of important for cannabis, where parts of a plant over a clean
lady bugs or lacewings. Both fewer control options are surface to dislodge insects,
of these insects are voracious available in general. mites, or other debris. This test
aphid predators and are often helps growers inspect normally
seen with aphids caught in their hard to catch insects hiding on
jaws. With predatory mites and the crop and is an important part
pest mites, however, it is often of scouting.
not as clear. One sign that we
might have a predator mite is
Yellow sticky cards should be placed one every 500 to
a fast movement speed, rather 1,000 square feet for effective monitoring. Cards positioned
than settling down in one place. so that 1/3 of the card is within the canopy will catch the
Predators are often much faster, widest variety of insects; cards can also be positioned near
the media to catch fungus gnats, or above the canopy to
and tend to roam around in catch flying pests. Check cards once per week.
search of prey.
Hemp russet Adult two
mites with eggs spotted spider
and predatory mite with eggs.
mite nearby.
18 | GRIFFIN GAZETTE 2021