Morning Ag Clips logo
  • Subscribe ❯
  • PORTAL ❯
  • LOGIN ❯
  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Subscribe to our
    daily email
    ❯
  • Portal Registration❯
  • Login❯
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Alabama
  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Hawaii
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New Mexico
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • Oregon
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • Wyoming

Morning Ag Clips

  • By Keyword
  • By topic
  • By state
  • policy
  • tractors & machinery
  • education
  • conservation
  • webinars
  • business
  • dairy
  • cattle
  • poultry
  • swine
  • corn
  • soybeans
  • organic
  • specialty crops
  • Home
  • Events
  • Jobs
  • Store
  • Advertise
Home » Social media saves on insecticides
INSECTICIDE ...

Social media saves on insecticides

Swdinky Facebook page helps growers monitor, treat for SWD

PUBLISHED ON January 10, 2017

A male spotted wing drosophila. (PHOTO: Patty Lucas, UK IPM specialist)
A male spotted wing drosophila. (PHOTO: Patty Lucas, UK IPM specialist)
A male spotted wing drosophila. (PHOTO: Patty Lucas, UK IPM specialist)

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A University of Kentucky entomologist is using a social media platform to help producers cut down on unnecessary insecticide applications.

Ric Bessin started the Facebook page Swdinky to help growers monitor and potentially treat for the spotted wing drosophila, a fruit fly that can destroy soft-skinned, small fruit including grapes, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. The invasive insect first appeared in Kentucky in 2012. It overwinters in the state, but when it becomes active varies by year.

Bessin recruited growers to volunteer to trap the insect during the growing season. Volunteers reported their findings to their county extension agent. The agent in turn reported the information to Bessin who posted it on the Facebook page.

“It’s easy to use Facebook to report the results of the trapping, because everyone can see the information at the same time, and I don’t have to send out individual emails,” said Bessin, extension professor in the UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment.

While the page is up year round, it becomes active beginning in April and May, when Bessin announces the trapping locations for the year. Trap counts come in as early as May and continue throughout the growing season.

Knowing when and where the pest is can help growers save time and money on unnecessary insecticide applications. Thus far, the insect has appeared after most producers have harvested their early summer crops like strawberries.

“If they didn’t have this information, growers would be preventively spraying either a conventional or organic insecticide every five to seven days during the harvest to save their crop from this pest,” Bessin said. “We have eliminated a lot of the spraying for this insect, because through monitoring, we’ve determined when the risk for causing damage is low and sprays are not needed. That’s good news for producers and consumers.”

Steve Osborne, Allen County extension agent for agriculture and natural resources education, said the tool has been valuable to growers in his county.

“The Facebook page has allowed our producers to see their strawberry patches through harvest without the use of chemical sprays,” he said. “At the same time, the Swdinky Facebook page alerts the county growers as to when to start sprays for blueberry and blackberry crops to protect them during harvest.”

When the spotted wing drosophila is detected through the trapping program, as was the case in McCracken County, the page helps producers know the insect is there. Grower Matt Wilson was able to recognize the insect damage and get university recommendations for controlling it from Bessin and Kathryn Wimberley, the county’s horticulture agent.

“We were able to identify that the spotted wing drosophila affected our blueberry and blackberry operation through the program and were able to apply pesticides when needed,” said Wilson, who operates Love Shack Farms near Lovelaceville. “I would like to participate in the trapping again this year.”

— Katie Pratt, University of Kentucky Ag News

For more news from Kentucky, click here.

RECOMMENDED ARTICLES

UMaine testing natural control for berry-eating pest
August 29, 2022

ORONO, Maine — Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) infest healthy, ripening fruit with their eggs and larvae, impacting their marketability. Without control measures, the flies can destroy nearly 80% of late-season berry crops. Crop loss from SWD exceeds an estimated $1.275 billion nationwide. In response, Phillip Fanning, assistant professor of agricultural entomology at UMaine, and his […]

Spotted lanternfly now confirmed in Sussex County
July 12, 2022

DOVER, Del. — Five years after the first confirmed spotted lanternfly was found in New Castle County in 2017, the spotted lanternfly has made its way to Sussex County, creating a statewide quarantine for this invasive pest. The spotted lanternfly is a destructive invasive planthopper that attacks many hosts, including trees, shrubs, orchards, grapes, and hops. The […]

OCA BEST
Cattlemen youth awarded at BEST banquet
May 11, 2022

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — The Ohio Cattlemen’s Association’s (OCA) Beef Exhibitor Show Total (BEST) program wrapped up the 2021-2022 BEST season on May 7 at the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. More than 800 BEST exhibitors and families gathered to watch youth receive awards for their show success, cattle industry knowledge, photography skills, community service efforts and […]

Invasive insects and look-a-likes in Kentucky
August 12, 2021

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Invasive insects have captured a lot of attention lately, which is good as it encourages people to be to be on the lookout for these new pests. However, we also can get many reports based on misidentifications of insects that are already found in Kentucky. For most of these invasive pests, we […]

Cattlemen youth celebrate BEST season
May 12, 2021

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — Awards and prizes filled the stage as families gathered to commemorate an unusual year at the annual Ohio Cattlemen’s Association (OCA) BEST (Beef Exhibitor Show Total) awards banquet held on May 1 at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in Columbus. Over 350 BEST exhibitors were awarded for their show success, cattle industry knowledge, […]

Spread the word

Browse More Clips

Horse hoof health & nutrition

peach tree

Sample spray guide for peaches

Primary Sidebar

MORE

KENTUCKY CLIPS

Kentucky Department of Agriculture
Kentucky Ag Development Board approves projects
January 26, 2023
larger crop seeds
UK study could help fight food insecurity
January 26, 2023
TYM USA and Branson Tractors merge to become TYM North America
January 26, 2023
ASI elects new leadership at Annual Convention
January 26, 2023
beltway beef cattle podcast
PODCAST: What to expect at NCBA’s 125th Convention
January 26, 2023
  • Trending
  • Latest

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE...

Footer

MORNING AG CLIPS

  • Contact Us
  • Sponsors
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service

CONNECT WITH US

  • Like Us on Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

TRACK YOUR TRADE

  • Markets & Economy
  • Cattle Updates
  • Dairy News
  • Policy & Politics
  • Corn Alerts

QUICK LINKS

  • Account
  • Portal Membership
  • Just Me, Kate
  • Farmhouse Communication

Get the MAC App Today!

Get it on Google Play
Download on the App Store

© 2023 Morning Ag Clips, LLC. All Rights Reserved.