Woolly apple aphid colonies can be found in many blocks. Monique recommends Sefina at this point in the season to help get them under control. Also see the article from Andres in this alert. 

We continued catching high numbers of apple leaf curling midge adults in our traps in Peru. This suggests the second generation adult flight has begun. Suggestions from our colleagues out of Ontario have found good control of this generation with either Delegate or Exirel. Exirel has a 2(ee) for leaf curling midge in NY. Delegate does not have ALCM on the label, but if you are using Delegate as your OBLR material, you will likely also pick up some ALCM in the process. Assail could be another option, but you might want to hold onto this material until we need it for apple maggot in a few more weeks. 

We continued to catch obliquebanded leafrollers in the Saratoga region and the Champlain Valley last week, with numbers rising in a few blocks. Using June 10^th as our example biofix date, the model suggests larvae will begin to hatch around 350 DD. NEWA predicted that we hit 350DD around June 24^th in Ballston Spa and Peru. In blocks with a history of bad OBLR damage, consider an insecticide application asap if you haven’t gotten one on yet, with a second application 10 to 14 days later.  If this has been a more marginal pest for your orchard, and your trap counts are low, you should be able to begin monitoring for terminal damage over the upcoming weekend, and then treat according to your monitoring results. Terminal monitoring instructions can be found on page 73 of the 2025 Tree Fruit Guidelines.  

 We continue to catch codling moth in Saratoga and the Champlain Valley, with relatively high numbers being caught around the Champlain last week. NEWA predicts we are right around peak egg hatch at this point, so a second insecticide application should be made 10 to 14 days after your first. In addition to the pyrethroids and the pyrethroid premix products, other options rated “high” in the guidelines to consider for CM and OBLR at this point include the group 28 products like Exirel, Altacor, and Verdepryn, group 5 products like Delegate, and Assail, a group 4A.  

We continued to catch low numbers of oriental fruit moth in our traps last week.  The NEWA model suggests the second generation adult flight should be starting shortly. If you’re still catching adults, your OBLR or CM materials should also pick up any of these larvae that are still kicking around.  

The July threshold for mites is 5 mites per leaf. A sampling chart can be found on page 76 of the 2025 guidelines. A list of miticides can be found on page 149 for European red mite and 157 for twospotted spider mites. 

Green apple aphids and green peach aphids are being found in each crop, respectively. A number of aphid products can be found on page 145 of the 2025 guidelines for apples, and page 264 for peaches. 

Apple scab lesions continue to be found in blocks around the region.  Check lesions closely to see if they are still active, or you’ve burnt them out with your last fungicide. Where active scab leaf lesions are present, Kerik recommends applying a combo fungicide with groups 7+11, like Merivon or Luna Sensation. If you don’t have scab lesions, but have had 5 days or 1.5 inches of rain, he recommends including one of the group 7, 11, or 3s with your next cover to keep scab controlled. In areas where there have been fewer than 5 days or less than 1.5 inches of rain, your next cover could be captan with one of the phosphoric acid products. Another option where there hasn’t been much rain would be to use a biopesticide like Stargus, EcoSwing, Double Nickel, Oso, or Howler. 

Where foliar diseases like apple blotch and frogeye leaf spot have been noticed in the orchard, we recommend a final push with a group 11, 3, or 7 with your next cover. We’ve noticed these foliar issues in a few susceptible blocks around the Capital Region and Champlain Valley over the past few weeks. 

For powdery mildew, Kerik suggests Luna Sensation or Merivon, carbonate biopesticides, or sulfur for burning out blighted shoots. He recommends not using sulfur when it’s going to be above 80 degrees. In general, the SDHIs and the DMIs do fairly well against powdery mildew in low pressure years. The QoIs are also generally a good choice. He’s had very good responses from Luna Sensation, Merivon, Tesaris, Miravis, Axios (group 52), and Gatten 5 EC (group 13) in his recent trials. 

Fire blight remains a concern as we continue to get some heat and active oozing strikes have been found in a few blocks. If you see shoot blight showing up in your plantings, and infections are dry, consider applying prohex calcium at 6-12oz /100 gallons and a liquid low MCE copper. For wet, oozing infections, Kerik recommends applying the prohex and copper, wait five days, and prune infections every two weeks on cool, dry days until terminal bud set. When pruning out, cut back at least 12 inches into last year’s healthy tissue. Even better to cut back to three year old wood, leaving a short 5 inch stub. In young trees, remove the entire tree if fire blight reaches the leader. If you have still have new plantings in bloom, consider a protective antibiotic application ahead of wetting events. This can be from rain, heavy dew, or from a spray application. 

Hot and dry conditions this week have led to a noticeable increase in green apple aphid (GAA) and woolly apple aphid (WAA) populations in both the Hudson Valley and Champlain Valley. For WAA, small but numerous colonies have been observed on varieties such as Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Gala, and RubyFrost. These colonies are beginning to migrate from old pruning wounds on the main stem to leaf axils in the upper canopy (see Figure 1).

Given these observations, scouting is strongly recommended, especially in orchards with a history of WAA infestations to determine whether treatment is needed

WAA Scouting Guidelines:

·     Sample 20 trees per acre.

·     Inspect trees from below by crouching and looking into the interior of the canopy. Because WAA colonies are unevenly distributed, be sure to include both interior and border trees in your sample.

·     Pay close attention to old pruning cuts near the trunk, where colonies typically establish first.

·     Check root suckers, which can act as reservoirs for WAA.

·     Flag infested trees and monitor these flagged trees every three days to track colony development and spread.

Currently, no formal economic threshold has been established for WAA treatment. However, if colonies are detected in blocks that experienced infestations in previous years, a treatment is recommended as soon as possible. Most control products are most effective when applied early, while populations are still low.

There are a few compounds specifically labeled for WAA, but options include Admire Pro and Assail (group 4A), Movento (Group 23), Diazinon (Group 1B), Sefina (Group 9D), Sivanto (Group 4D), Beleaf (Group 29), or Esteem (Group 7C). Always read and follow product labels carefully to ensure proper use, application timing, and resistance management.

March 27, 2025 9am - 11:30am

American Legion Post 769 9509 Rt 9 Chazy, NY 12921

 Join us some pest management updates, and to receive some additional pesticide recertification credits for your farm's certified applicators! We will be offering 2.25 DEC recertification credits in categories 22, 10, and 1A. Light refreshments will be provided.

  Learn more and register here!

 This is a reminder that we have two buying dates at NEFX next week- March 27th and 28th - at our facility in Mechanicville NY.  We welcome you all to bring your fleeces for sale! To do so, you must sign up for an appointment by clicking here.

 All sellers must be certified through our NEFX farmer training program.  If you attended a session in person and completed the provided paperwork, you are eligible to sell.  If not there is still time to complete the certification online and book a time to sell at our March dates.  Click here to access the training.

 In this buying round, grades will be based on a traditional system of Fine, Medium and Course wools. Pay rates will be on a sliding scale to allow us to factor in cleanliness and quality.  Fleeces that will require additional processing for use will be paid a lower rate than top quality fleeces. Grades and prices will be determined by our grader. 

 As a reminder, wool accepted by NEFX must meet our quality standards. Quality standards are essential to meeting the demands of our buyers. If you want a refresher on those requirements, the training videos are available on our website.

 I have also attached the grading and pricing information for your reference.  Breeds listed on this reference sheet are meant to serve as an example, but official grades will be determined in person.

If anyone has any questions regarding the buying dates, please feel free to reach out!

All the best,

Abby Henderson

Farm to Market Business Development Specialist

Hudson Valley Textile Project

518-450-3156

hvtextileproject.org

Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Central NY and Eastern NY regional teams and CCE of Madison County are taking their show on the road. Between March 25-28, the Field Crop & Vegetable IPM Roadshow will be held in seven locations throughout Central NY and the Mohawk Valley region, focused on equipping crop farmers with the latest Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies for insect pests, diseases, and weeds:

 March 25, 9-11 AM – CCE Herkimer County, 5657 NY-5, Herkimer, NY

March 25, 1-3 PM – Farm Credit East, 7397 NY-80 Cooperstown, NY

March 26, 9-11 AM – CCE Madison County Ag Center, 100 Eaton St, Morrisville, NY

March 26, 1-3 PM – CCE Chenango County, 99 N Broad St, Norwich, NY

March 27, 1-3 PM – CCE 4H Training Center (Wm Schwerd Building), 556 Middleline Rd, Ballston Spa, NY

March 28, 9-11 AM – CCE Fulton-Montgomery, 20 Park St, Fonda, NY

March 28, 1-3 PM – CCE Schoharie County, 173 S Grand St Suite 1, Cobleskill, NY

 Learn more and register here!

WARSAW, N.Y. — The NYS DOT Regulations for Farm Trucks & Equipment will take place Saturday, March 8, 2025 – 10:00am – 1:30pm at the Wyoming County Ag & Business Center, 36 Center Street, Warsaw. This free information session & lunch will be served. Farm owners and employees who manage or operate farm trucks and equipment are invited to join this informational session on the latest regulations for using farm trucks and equipment on local roads. Presenters: Trooper Matt Luft & Trooper Tony Fioretto, New York State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit.