Don't allow bagworms to defoliate your evergreens
By ROBERT KESSLER Penn State Cooperative Extension Franklin County office

COMING EVENTS

Aug. 14 - 10 a.m., Cut Flower Trials and Flower Arranging Demonstration, Horticulture Garden.

Aug. 22 - Noon, Tomato Tasting Day, Horticulture Center on Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, open to public. Call 263-9226.

Aug. 19 to 25 - Franklin County Fair, Chambersburg Rod and Gun Club, 3725 Warm Spring Road, Chambersburg.

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BAGWORM CONTROL

At this time of the year, I can spot bagworm damage from the road. The larvae are big in size and are very hungry feeders. They are defoliating evergreens as they feed. The problem is that most evergreens will not send out new leaves once they have been defoliated, so it is important to stop the feeding before it gets to completely defoliate the area of the plant.

All evergreens in your yard should be inspected up close and from a distance to be sure that you do not see any bags hanging from the branches. They are large enough now that you can easily see them. If you discover that you have bagworms or you knew you had them and haven't sprayed yet, you should spray the bagworms now.

We know that if the bagworms are large enough, it will stop feeding and will enter early pupation. This means they will not be killed, but they will stop feeding, which is important. At least this will keep more damage from occurring and some of the bagworm larvae will be killed by spraying.

To get control of the bagworms, you should spray the tree that has evidence of damage with Carbaryl (Sevin). You can purchase this at any garden center.

As was mentioned, many of the bagworm larvae will go into pupation and emerge as moths in early September. These will mate and the female will fill her bag with eggs. The only way to control them after the eggs are laid is to pick off the bags and destroy them. That can be done at any time because the female will not leave her bag until she lays and the eggs will stay in the bag until they hatch next year.

Next June the eggs will hatch and the process starts all over. You should plan to spray your plants with Bt by late June to eliminate the newly hatched larvae.

SQUASH BUGS IN GARDEN

If you are growing any pumpkins or squash in your garden, you should be checking your plants for squash bugs. The squash bug is one of the most common pests in growing any type of vine crop in the squash family. Adults winter over in plant debris, old vines or nearby buildings. When your vine crops start to grow in the spring, they move to the young plants and lay eggs.

The adult squash bugs are about five-eighth inch long, winged, flat-backed and brownish black in color. The young are whitish-gray in color with black eggs. These will be the ones that are easily seen against the green foliage. They will cluster near the crowns of the plants and on the underside of the lower leaves. Both the adults and the nymphs (young) do their damage by sucking juices from the plant with their piercing mouth parts. They will feed on both the leaves and stems, and while they feed, they inject a toxic material into the plant, which will cause the plant to wilt. After they wilt, they will turn a crispy brown and become brittle.

Squash bugs can be difficult to control because they hide at the base of the plant and under the leaves. You can use carbaryl (Sevin) in your garden sprayer, keeping the pressure high. Seven can be toxic to bees so spray in very early morning and concentrate on the leaves and stems, but avoid the flowers with your spray. Permethrin is another choice that is less toxic to bees. Be sure to focus your spray on the underside of the leaves where the squash bug hides. If you notice red eggs on the back of leaves, you should squash them to prevent them from hatching.

At the end of the harvesting season, clean up any remaining leaves stems and fruit and compost it. Do not leave it in the garden because it will continue to feed the squash bug, helping them build up food reserves for winter.

AG PROGRESS DAYS

CELEBRATES 100 YEARS

OF CROP, SOIL SCIENCES

Visitors at Penn State's Ag Progress Days, August 14-16 at Rock Springs, may be surprised to learn about the role that agronomy and related sciences have played in their day-to day lives.

Special displays in the College of Agricultural Sciences Exhibits Building will make the 100-year anniversary of the college's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. The building's theme, "A Century of Solutions… From the Ground Up," will showcase the department's history of providing agricultural innovations to benefit Pennsylvania's farms and citizens. While department head David Sylvia knows it is hard for many people to get excited over "dirt," the intent is to increase awareness of this vital resource.

"We'd like to see people come away saying, 'Wow - we didn't know crops and soils did that!"' Sylvia said. "There are a lot of aspects of crop and soil sciences that people don't associate with us, and many issues facing us in the future - global warming, alternative energy sources - will be impacted by the things they see here.

"People are very concerned about air and water quality, and you can only have good water if you have good soil," he added. "Once pollution is in the water, for instance, it is hard to get rid of, so land or more specifically soil affects many aspects of our health."

The College Exhibits Building will feature graphical displays demonstrating the latest advances in acid mine drainage and other soil issues, sustainable lawn care, and new and emerging crops for alternative energy production. Also highlighted will be the department's turfgrass science program, which administers undergraduate and certificate programs that are among the best in the world.

Special displays will spotlight:

o Water and soils, including nutrient management, acid mine drainage remediation and current advances in environmental engineering.

o Turfgrass, focusing on characteristics and comparison of natural and synthetic turf for safer, longer-lasting and lowermaintenance athletic fields. This exhibit will feature Penn State's turfgrass teaching and breeding programs and their impact on golf courses. Turf-testing equipment developed at the university will be on display.

o Crops, revealing the role of crop and soil sciences in providing abundant food and feed, a cleaner environment and biofuels.

o Geographic Information Systems, demonstrating their use to support food production through such geospatial-technology based services as SoilMap, AgMap and other applications.

If you are interested in learning more about the research impacting agriculture, whether you are a consumer or you work in agriculture, you should attend Ag Progress Days. Sponsoring by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, Ag Progress Days is held at the Russell Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs, nine miles southwest of State College on state Route 45. Hours are 9 AM to 5 PM, August 14, 9 AM to 8 PM, August 15 and 9 AM to 4 PM on August 16. Admission and parking are free. For information, visit the Ag Progress Days Web site at http://apd.cas.psu.edu/ online.