pests

The Washington State Department of Agriculture is seeking the public’s help identifying and mapping new pests to the state the Lily Leaf Beatle and the Southern Green Stink Bug.   Karla Salp said this kind of crowdsourcing initiative has been successful in other places.   “...

Washington State University’s 2017 Fruit School will be focusing on organic methods of fighting pests and diseases.   WSU’s Tianna Dupont said, “We’re going to focusing on both our key natural enemies, their life histories, the pests that they control as well as how to conserve them as well as an effective organic IPM toolbox.”   Dupont noted that ...

It’s still too early to tell if the bitterly cold temperatures the Inland Northwest has had thus far this winter will impact next year’s pests numbers.   WSU Integrated Pest Management Coordinator Doug Walsh said many do just fine, even in near-zero temps during December, January and February.   “It’s r...

A recent study by UC Davis shows that fields that use the same crop and genotype year-after-year, a monoculture, can have more pest problems because of the nutrient needs of the pest.   Lead author William Wetzel said they wanted to find out how biological diversity impacted insects.  ...

The 2016 Season for Columbia Basin Potatoes is off to an early start.  Washington State University Extension's Tim Waters says on average the region is about 20 days ahead of normal, for soil temperature and even some plantings.  He said while late February and Early March were very warm, air temperatures have cooled recently, which raises concerns for some growers.  Waters added...

Legislation intended to prevent the spread of destructive pests and disease through compost was unanimously approved by the Washington House.  Senate Bill 6605, sponsored by Moses Lake Republican Judy Warnick creates a process for the state Department of Agriculture to review applications for moving composting waste form facilities in quarantine areas to locations not under quarantine.  ... Read M