By Clint Thompson
Insect management is an essential part of a growers’ plan of action, especially as they transition from summer to fall production.
Paulo Gimenez Cremonez, Auburn Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist, provided an update on what insects are present and should be a concern to fruit and vegetable growers.
“Some of the insects we’re seeing right now mostly in the field are squash bugs. We have both adults and nymphs. They’re from summer squash to fall pumpkins, cucumbers and winter squash,” Cremonez said.
“There’s also a lot of fall armyworms that are present statewide. We have a monitoring (system) here in Alabama, mostly for turf, but this is a multi-cropping system pest. So far, we’ve seen them feed in sweet corn, beans, some tomatoes. There’s some corn earworm activity as well in late-planted sweet corn and tomatoes. We have just found some activity of corn earworm in our organic tomatoes we have here in our Auburn campus.
“Whiteflies are definitely coming. They are a little bit late this year probably because of the early winter, small fall that we had. They are definitely around here,  and they will pick up. It’s getting drier, and whiteflies prefer that. Stink bugs, spider mites are also present, especially on tomatoes, strawberries, blueberries as well.”