Those Pesky Caterpillars!

TENT CATERPILLAR HATCHING NOW

    Eastern tent caterpillar egg hatch has started in Kentucky!

     Questions about how soon egg hatch will be completed and when tent caterpillars will begin to feed will soon be answered by Kentucky's spring weather.

     "When temperatures are in the upper 70s most of the eggs hatch in eight to ten days, however, highs in the 50s can spread hatch out over a month," said Lee Townsend, Extension entomologist in the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture. "These caterpillars are basically inactive below 50 degrees so it's easy to see how great an effect temperature has on them."

     The tent caterpillar, which gets its name from the silken tent it constructs in tree branches, prefers wild cherry but also feeds on peach, apple, crabapple and other trees.

     This insect, which is common throughout the eastern United States, is a nuisance but poses no

health threat to humans.

     Because the eastern tent caterpillar has been identified as one of the risk factors associated with Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome, UK scientists are intensely monitoring its activity.  As part of a comprehensive UK program this spring scientists also are watching other factors, including pasture

conditions and weather patterns.

          A patient approach will allow any early natural control, such as heavy rains or freezes, to have an effect, and we need to keep in mind that treating too early can mean that additional applications may be needed.  Spraying will be most effective when the nests are established and the caterpillars are actively feeding.  Waiting until the nests are about the size of a baseball or softball should be about ideal.

Natural enemies play an important role in reducing eastern tent caterpillar numbers in most years. Caterpillars are frequently parasitized by various tiny braconid, ichneumonid, and chalcid wasps. Several predators and a few diseases also help to regulate their populations. This, in part, accounts for the fluctuating population levels from year to year.

Prevention and early control is important. Removal and destruction of the egg masses from ornamentals and fruit trees during winter greatly reduces the problem next spring. In the early spring, small tents can be removed and destroyed by hand. Larger tents may be pruned out and destroyed or removed by winding the nest upon the end of a stick. Burning the tents out with a torch is not recommended since this can easily damage the tree.

Young caterpillars can be killed by applying an insecticide containing Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki. Larvae within the tents are protected beneath the webbing and are more difficult to kill with an insecticide.

Hardin County Extension Office (765-4121) www.hardinext.org is an excellent source of information on insect pest management, as well as the UK entomology department's web site at www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/enthp.htm.

Gardeners’ Tool Box Series:

Spring Flower Arranging - May 3, 2011

Back by popular demand!  Assemble a  small springtime flower arrangement.  The perfect gift for Mothers’ Day or give the class as a gift.  All the supplies for the arrangement will be included in the class fee. Registration ($10) and payment must be received by April 22. Class is held at the Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Don’t Forget about the Lincoln Trail Area Master Gardeners’ 13^th Annual Plant Fair: MAY 21^st from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Hardin County Extension Office, 201 Peterson Drive, Elizabethtown.

Pest Management Tips for Home Vegetable Gardens

Now is a good time to start thinking about pest control for your home vegetable garden.

You can control pest problems, and perhaps prevent future difficulties, in your garden by doing some advance planning and following a few simple Integrated Pest Management practices. IPM promotes minimal pesticide use and emphasizes use of all available pest control methods including cultural, mechanical and biological practices to prevent pest problems.

Examples of the IPM approach include using plants with natural disease tolerance or resistance, using mulch to control weeds or row covers to prevent insect damage and using naturally occurring organisms such as lady beetles or praying mantis. 

Sanitation is another good IPM practice. Keep your garden well-groomed during active growth. Once you spot diseased plant material, remove it immediately to keep diseases from spreading. Also, promptly remove vegetable plants when they cease to be productive. Although you should clear out unproductive vegetable plants from the garden area, you can add this plant material to a compost pile.

Before you buy seeds, plants or fertilizer, start your garden off right by answering these questions.

Have you taken a soil sample to determine if soil fertility and acidity/alkalinity will meet plants’ nutrient requirements?

Soil test results will let you know how much fertilizer is required to provide plants with needed nutrients, while preventing excessive use that contributes to groundwater, stream and lake pollution. Plants that are stressed or weak from insufficient nutrients or a pH that’s too low or too high are more susceptible to disease and can’t readily tolerate insect damage. To give your plants a healthy start, soil test and apply the fertilizer and other amendments according to the recommendations.

Do you plant your garden crops in the same spot year after year?

Crop rotation can help prevent insect and disease build-ups. For example, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes and peppers are subject to the same insect and disease problems. Therefore, none of these crops should be planted in the same location more than every three consecutive years. After three years, switch to a different crop like beans or corn. If you have limited garden space, plant some vegetable plants in containers such as large pots or half whisky barrels as a form of crop rotation.

Make a diagram of your garden each year to avoid planting the same or closely related crops in exactly the same spot too frequently.

How do you select a vegetable plant variety?

Whether you are planting corn or tomatoes, check to see that the variety you are planting has some disease resistance or tolerance. For example, select tomato varieties labeled “VFN,” as they’re resistant to Verticillium Wilt, Fusarium and root-knot nematodes. Whereas, a tomato variety leveled “V” is only resistant to Verticillium Wilt.

Do you buy the cheapest transplants?

When it comes to transplants, the best buys are the healthy ones. A healthy transplant was seeded at the right time, grown at the proper temperature and received adequate light and moisture. It will have a compact growth structure with very small distances between leaves. The leaves will be dark green, large and upright with no tendency to droop. Stems will be pencil thick and rigid.

Avoid transplants that are beginning to produce flowers or fruit. It might seem that buying a plant with blooms or fruit will give you a head start in the garden. However, plants trying to produce fruit or flowers are slow to develop the good root systems needed to support later fruit production.  Never buy plants that have insects present or are showing disease symptoms.

Do you plan to use mulch in your garden?

Mulch helps prevent weeds that will decrease your garden’s production by competing with the vegetable plants for water, nutrients and sunlight. In addition, some weeds harbor diseases and insects that attack vegetable plants.  Mulch also helps conserve soil moisture.

Several types of commercial mulch are available, or you can use newspapers for the mulch. Start with five to eight layers, adding more layers as the newspapers decompose to prevent weed growth throughout the growing season.  Be sure to use only newspapers printed with soy-based ink and avoid using the glossy inserts.

If you have other gardening questions visit www.extension.org or contact the Hardin County Cooperative Extension Service at 270- 765-4121. 

For more information on growing vegetables, request our publication, “Home Vegetable Gardening in Kentucky” (ID-128). It is available from your local Extension Service office, or from the UK Web site at http://www.ca.uky.edu/agc/pubs/id/id128/id128.htm.

Educational programs of the Cooperative Extension Service serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability or national origin.

NOTE:  The Lincoln Trail Master Gardeners are at the Extension Office EVERY AFTERNOON to answer your gardening questions.  Please call 270.765.4121 to consult with a Kentucky Master Gardener about any gardening questions.

Gardeners’ Tool Box Series:

How Will My Plant Die? - April 19, 2011

Everything dies at some point.  But not every plant has to die an untimely death.  Learn what you can do as plant-parents to keep your children out of harm’s way.  Nutrition, care of the newly planted, and raising the green teenager will set you on the path to long-lived plants. Registration ($7) and payment must be received by April 15. Class is held at the Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Spring Flower Arranging - May 3, 2011

Back by popular demand!  Assemble a  small springtime flower arrangement.  The perfect gift for Mothers’ Day or give the class as a gift.  All the supplies for the arrangement will be included in the class fee. Registration ($10) and payment must be received by April 22. Class is held at the Hardin County Extension Office beginning at 6:30 p.m. 

Don’t Forget about the Lincoln Trail Area Master Gardeners’ 13^th Annual Plant Fair: MAY 21^st from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Hardin County Extension Office, 201 Peterson Drive, Elizabethtown.