While my husband has assured me it ’s too betimes yet for pumpkin spice lattes or diminish decorations , it ’s definitely not too early for greenhouse and nursery managers to opine about chrysanthemum product . Hardy garden mummy production is endure on now for late summertime and pass sales . While generally a comparatively trouble - liberal crop , one group of fundamental insect pests of chrysanthemum can do a pregnant amount of damage to flowers , foliage , and stems in a relatively short amount of time – caterpillars ! Multiple metal money of these larvae of moth and butterflies can cause issues for ma yield in the field and greenhouse .
by Dr. Gretchen Pettis , BioSafe Systems entomologist
The various caterpillar larva attacking mamma can feed on all above ground portions of mum plants . Newly hatched larvae initially cause only modest yap or skeletonizing damage to blue-ribbon leave . As the caterpillars grow over a 2 - 4 week period they begin wipe out large holes in leaves or pig entire leaves and stems . Some specie will even tire into or waistcloth stems have wilting and death of large portions of the plant .
The most vulgar two species discover on mums in the greenhouse and field are the corn earworm and beet Pseudaletia unipuncta . But , other species such as scratch measuring worm , saltmarsh caterpillar , European corn woodborer , European pepper moth , and omnivorous leaf roller are all sleep together to stimulate damage . calculate on the species , harm may be localized in one orbit of the crop or widely dispersed . As cat get larger , they will often migrate to new plants in search of food .
Feeding damage from caterpillars is sure unsightly , but the tissue wounding their chewing create can allow entry for industrial plant disease organisms as well , so it is wise to handle Caterpillar in your dauntless garden mum harvest . Prevention of caterpillar infestations should always be your first pestilence management footstep . Keep moths and butterfly from vaporize into greenhouses via doors or vents whenever possible and , for out-of-door grown plants , riddance from moth or butterfly stroke egg laying with netting . If caterpillars do take place to infest your craw , choose a biorational option such as BT NOW . This Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki ( Btk ) based bioinsecticide provides highly effective , caterpillar specific bodily process and preserves beneficial species that provide additional pest direction benefit . BT NOW can be apply up to the day of harvesting and has only a 4 - hour re - first appearance interval and can be apply when pollinator such as honeybees are forage .
As with any insecticide , other detecting and treatment is important . BT NOW works best on young , actively feed caterpillar larvae . Once larvae feed on BT NOW they give up feeding within 60 minutes and go within days , providing rapid protective covering of your crop . Good coverage of leaf will control that larvae quick exhaust a sufficient dose . Many of the species of Caterpillar that feed on mums are most alive at Nox . Evening applications of BT NOW will take reward of this pest behavior and protect the UV sensible Btk spores to give you a longer period of residuary activity . intervention should ideally be done when you are not expecting rainwater or overhead irrigation events within 6 - 8 hours .
ensure your crepuscle mummy yield season is all treat and no tricks from beastly caterpillars with BT NOW .
