Identifying Ground Beetles
It's an easy error to make. You notice some plants being chewed. You look around for clues and spot a good sized hole in the soil nearby. If you poke around in the soil you may unearth a surprisingly large, aggressive-looking beetle and it's easy to conclude that you've found your culprit. But you would be wrong.
Ground beetles have an appetite for grubs, slugs, caterpillars, wireworms and other soil-dwelling pests. They aren't causing the damage; they're helping fight the problem. Ground beetles are usually nocturnal so they can be hard to find without digging through the soil. When exposed to light they scurry to bury themselves back under ground. They especially like the cover provided by crop debris and natural mulches.
Ground beetle larvae are even more intimidating. They tend to be robust with noticeably large jaws, the better for devouring those worms and slugs. Ground beetle adults and larvae are good examples of why it is important to accurately identify the pest before deciding which course of action to follow.
For more information on many types of ground beetles visit: http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/pdf/ground-tiger-beetles
-Amy Ivy
Upcoming Events
Drinkwine Produce Twilight Meeting
September 16, 2024 : Drinkwine Produce Twilight Meeting
Ticonderoga, NY
Drinkwine Produce Twilight Meeting
Monday, September 16th 4-6 pm (rain or shine)
1512 Street Rd, Ticonderoga, NY 12883
Join us for discussions on high tunnel tomato production and sweet corn and pumpkin IPM at Drinkwine Produce in Ticonderoga. Henry Drinkwine will provide an overview of his practices for maintaining high yields of tomatoes, including pollination and soil fertility management. In the second half of the meeting, CCE specialist Chuck Bornt will review integrated pest management for sweet corn and pumpkins, with hands-on scouting and identification of key pests and diseases.
DEC Credits: 1.5 credits in categories 1A, 10, 23
Korona Produce Field Meeting
September 24, 2024 : Korona Produce Field Meeting
Amsterdam, NY
Korona Produce Field Meeting
September 24, 2024, 4-6pm
Korona Farm and Produce
1953 Co Rd 107, Amsterdam, NY 12010
(pull in by the cow pasture)
Join CCE Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture Vegetable Specialists Crystal Stewart-Courtens and Chuck Bornt for a field meeting to look at tarping for weed and pest control and cover crop termination in vegetable rotations, a pumpkin variety trial walk looking at new varieties, and cucurbit IPM practices.
This meeting is free and open to the public.
2 DEC credits available in categories 1A and 23
Questions? Reach out to Crystal Stewart-Courtens at cls263@cornell.edu or 518-775-0018