Refrigerated Summer Storage Could Boost Bee Survival
Honey Bee Health Specialist Brandon Hopkins and co-authors Anna Webb (lead), Stephen Onayemi, Rae Olsson, and Kelly Kulhanek’s article, “Summer indoor queen banking as an alternative to outdoor queen banking practices” was published in January in the Journal of Apicultural Research, a refereed scientific journal published on behalf of the International Bee Research Association (IBRA), an internationally recognized provider of information on bee science and beekeeping.
The practice of “queen banking,” or storing excess queen bees for later service, is not new, but Hopkins’ group has been studying banking under indoor, refrigerated conditions. Preliminary results indicate that this could result in a higher survival rate and require less maintenance labor than conventional, outdoor banking.
The indoor queen banking research was supported in part by funding from Project Apis m. Hopkins’ group has worked with this organization on past initiatives investigating and promoting indoor honey bee colony storage that have been featured in this IPM newsletter, including the Indoor Storage Conference Virtual Event in November 2021, the 2022 Indoor Storage of Honey Bees Conference, and publication of A Guide to Indoor Storage of Honey Bee Colonies in the USA (version 2.0).
Blog Posts, Timely Topics, and Annual Reports for Small Grains
Small Grains Extension Specialist Drew Lyon posed the thorny question “Is No-Till Sustainable?” in a February blog post. While acknowledging the many benefits of this strategy, Lyon discussed impacts on weed control and the need to closely examine crop rotation in no-till and low-till systems. Other posts in the Weeders of the West blog / forum this quarter with IPM implications included Russian-thistle dispersion and the effect of plant size and stubble height with Oregon State University’s Fernando Oreja and Judit Barroso and Why do they [weeds] keep coming back? with University of Idaho’s Albert Adjesiwor.
Timely Topics posted to the WSU Wheat and Small Grains website this quarter included First Stripe Rust Forecast of the Season with Plant Pathologists Tim Murray (WSU) and Xianming Chen (USDA-ARS), How to Replace Damaged or Missing Pesticide Labels with WSU Extension Specialist Dale Whaley, and Lyon’s own It’s Mustard Hunting Season. Also on the website, or your favorite podcast app, is the WSU Wheat Beat Podcast episode Lessons from Weed Seed Control in Australia with Dr. Michael Walsh, a Fulbright scholar with the University of Western Australia.
Also this quarter, the 2022 WSU Weed Control Report (pdf) was released, as were the Research Progress Reports for the previous year.
Onion Storage Evaluated, Potato Seed Trials Underway
Last quarter, this newsletter reported on the 2022 Onion Cultivar Demonstration Results (pdf). Regional Vegetable Specialist Tim Waters and colleague Carrie Wohleb coordinated this trial, which included 53 cultivars and lines from 7 different seed companies. At harvest, cultivars were evaluated for yield, defects, and size distribution, after which a subset of the onions were put into a controlled atmosphere storage. In February, this subset was examined for storage-related characteristics including firmness, scale retention, uniformity of shape, single centers, and incidence of bacterial rot, fungal neck rot, and Fusarium basal rot. These data were released as the 2022 Onion Cultivar Storage Demonstration Results (pdf). Archival results from previous years’ trials are available here.
Waters is participating in the 2023 WSU Commercial Potato Seed Lot Trial, in which he and his colleagues collect and evaluate the performance of seed lots being grown across Washington State. Grower participants can get sample tags and additional information through the Washington State Potato Commission. Lots are being planted on March 28, April 11, April 25, and May 9 this year, with results presented to growers at the WSU Potato Field Day in June. Seed-borne issues that can be identified by this trial include potato virus Y and herbicide carryover. For previous years’ results, see the Seed Lot Evaluation archives.
IPM Outreach in Hops, Alfalfa Seed, and Wine Grapes
Washington State IPM Coordinator and Extension Entomologist Doug Walsh presented Integrated Management of Arthropod Pests on Hops at the 67th Annual American Hop Convention January 24-27 in Santa Rosa, CA. This event, hosted by Hop Growers of America, brings together growers, researchers, merchants, breweries, and other industry stakeholders.
On January 30, Walsh presented both Enhancing & Protecting Populations of Alfalfa Seed Pollinators and Alfalfa Weevil and Lygus Bug Control at the Western Alfalfa Seed Growers Winter Seed Conference (pdf) in Las Vegas, NV. This convention hosts growers from across the west including California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
Walsh presented at WineVit 2023 on February 7. In a panel discussion with viticulturists, vineyard managers, agronomists, and WSU Plant Pathologist Naidu Rayapati entitled Leafroll: It’s Not About You, It’s About Us, the group discussed preemptive approaches to managing this disease, which is vectored by grape mealybug and spreads easily between vineyards. Walsh presented a Powerpoint comparing older theories about leafroll to what we now know, including the role of windblown mealybug crawlers in spreading the disease. He highlighted PhD graduate student Stephen Onayemi’s work with pheromone-based mating disruption as a promising new control strategy. This panel and presentations were featured in Morning AgClips and Western Farmer-Stockman.
Great Grapes Are Moyer’s Mission
Extension Viticulturist Michelle Moyer, in cooperation with the Washington Wine Industry Foundation, organized Stop the Spread: Effective Options for Managing Leafroll. The half-day event took place on January 24 in Walla Walla and on January 25 in Prosser, featuring presentations by Moyer and colleagues Naidu Rayapati (WSU) and Monica Cooper (University of California). Attendees learned about clean plantings, vector detection and management, decision support tools, and when and how to rogue vines.
Moyer served as advisor for a session at WineVit 2023, where she, Lav Khot, Markus Keller (WSU), and Yun Zhang (Ste Michelle Wine Estates) discussed Warm, Cool or Average, Weather Impacts Farming. Weather impacts vine development and influences incidence of arthropod pests and diseases including mildews and rots.
The 2023 Pest Management Guide for Grapes in Washington was released this quarter. This annually updated guide helps grape growers and vineyard managers understand and control diseases, insects, weeds, and vertebrate pests on commercial grapes. Weed controls (both soil-active and foliage-applied herbicides) are outlined for new and established plantings, and disease and insect controls are coordinated to pest and crop stage.
Winter Brings a Blizzard of Tree Fruit Outreach
Tree Fruit IPM Extension Specialist Betsy Beers took part in the 2023 Orchard Pest & Disease Management Conference (pdf) in Portland January 11-13, co-authoring Errors Associated with Pheromone Trapping of Sterile Codling Moth presented by Tobin Northfield, Potential Use of Acoustic Communication for Pear Psylla in IPM presented by Dowen Jocson and Adapting IPM Approaches for Spotted Wing Drosophila Management to Eastern Washington State presented by Dylan Beal.
At the North Central Washington Stone Fruit Day in Wenatchee on January 18, Beers and Beal discussed Western Cherry Fruit Fly and Spotted Wing Drosophila: Best Management Practices, New Cultural Controls and Techniques in the Pipeline.
At the 76th Annual Lake Chelan Horticultural Meeting on January 21 in Chelan, Beers presented From Campyloma to Cutworms: Strategies for Pests from 2022.
Beers’ ongoing work with invasive BMSB was the focus on her presentation Integrated Control of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug at the Apple Crop Protection Research Review on January 24 in Wenatchee.
In February, Beers made presentations on codling moth IPM at two Northwest Wholesale Inc. grower meetings (Omak and Royal City) and presented Invasive & Emerging Insects Update: Brown marmorated stink bug, Spotted lantern fly, Apple leaf curl midge, and more at the Okanogan Horticultural Association annual meeting.
Sweetpotato Trials, Education, and Small Farm Resources
Regional Horticulture and IPM Specialist Laurel Moulton is coordinating sweetpotato trials and outreach on Washington State’s Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas, in cooperation with WSU Northwestern Washington Research and Extension Center. While typically grown in the warmer southern U.S. states, sweetpotatoes show promise as a high-value commercial crop in Washington State. Moulton worked with fellow WSU Extension IPM Team member Carol Miles and graduate research assistant Srijana Shrestha last year and this year the partnership secured a Western SARE Research and Education Grant to fund 3 more years of trials and education.
- Trials. Farmers in Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap Counties interested in hosting a trial plot can email Moulton for more information. Training, troubleshooting, and sweetpotato roots are provided.
- Educational Activities. Online classes, on-farm workshops, and field days are planned and open to all interested farmers across western Washington. Information can be found on the WSU Regional Small Farms website. The home page also has a link to sign up for the Regional Small Farms Newsletter.
Moulton and the WSU Regional Small Farms Team provide outreach via workshops and classes, their Online Learning Library, and one-on-one. Farmers in Clallam, Jefferson, and Kitsap counties can fill out a Technical Assistance Request to set up a session.
Could BDMs Play a Role in Perennial Fruit Systems?
Vegetable Horticulture Specialist Carol Miles and her team continue their outreach to the scientific community and growers of high-value fruit and vegetable crops on the benefits of utilizing soil-biodegradable plastic mulch (BDM). Plastic mulches have been an agricultural mainstay since the 1950s, but disposal of these plastics can prove problematic. Biodegradable mulches are manufactured alternatives to plastic mulch and are designed to provide the same benefits as plastic mulch, including weed control, soil temperature moderation, soil moisture retention, and soil conservation, but with the added benefit of being 100% biodegradable, whether in the field or in compost, with no formation of toxic residues.
Miles and graduate research assistant Srijana Shrestha released the third issue (pdf) of BDM Update in January. This newsletter discussed the possibility of utilizing BDMs in perennial fruit production systems. Use of organic mulches such as wood chips and sawdust is common in these crops, and traditional plastic mulches (especially thick and durable polypropylene) also play a role, but interest is increasing in incorporating BDMs in production of raspberry, strawberry, grape and other perennial fruits.
For more information on BDMs, see the WSU Plastic Mulches website.
New Hortsense Website Goes Live!
WSU Hortsense has been a go-to IPM resource for WSU Extension Master Gardeners, home gardeners, and diagnostic laboratories since 1994. This quarter, Urban IPM Coordinator Carrie Foss announced the completion of the site’s migration to WordPress. Hortsense still offers over 1,200 factsheets on plant problems and beneficial insects, but the new platform is mobile-friendly, features new content on wasps as pollinators, has a weed photo gallery, and meets accessibility needs. As home gardeners and Master Gardeners head outdoors this spring, they can take the new Hortsense with them.
In March, the WSU Urban IPM Program delivered two advanced Master Gardener trainings to support the program’s pollinator priority. The full-day agenda covered pollination, native bees, endangered pollinators, protection from pesticides, and creating pollinator habitat. Presenters shared information on resources and opportunities for the WSU Master Gardeners to become actively engaged in helping pollinators. The 260 Master Gardener attendees completed a pre-survey to attend the training, answering questions about their personal and outreach efforts related to pollinators. A post-survey next fall will be used to find out how the Master Gardeners used what they learned in the trainings to protect pollinators in their own yards and in their communities.