Focus on Treatment Windows – Fall
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FALL: SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER
Fall (September through harvest)
Stages of pests. Pests start to become dormant in the fall.
- RBM —Mites are actively feeding and reproducing. Mites are residing in the newly formed rosette bud and will remain there until bud break of next year.
- EHS —All stages present though the fewest number of males and crawlers. There will be more crawler activity if the winter is warm.
- BWA — In September all stages may be present including eggs, crawlers, nymphs and adults. However at some point, depending on the weather and the elevation, reproduction will stop and the overwintering nymphal stage will form and be the only stage present going into winter.
- BTA — Egg
- Cinara aphids — Cinara aphids may be very active.
- SSM — In September all stages may be present including eggs, immatures, and adults. However at some point, depending on the weather and the elevation, reproduction will stop and only eggs will be present.
- HRM — Rust mites may start to become active again.
- Predators — Predators may be found in early fall but become less active as the weather gets colder.
Advantages to applications during fall. Fall is one of the best times to put out an insecticide. The weather is typically cooler and drier. Often flowers in the ground cover have dried up and no longer attractive to pollinators. There are not as many predators present. Fall is also the time to treat for Cinara aphids in trees to be harvested. If mites are present, controlling them will reduce the likelihood of problems the following spring. Good fall controls can keep you from having to treat in the spring for pests. For more information on the control of aphids see: Focus on aphid control.
Disadvantages to fall. One disadvantage to fall spraying is that it is not a good time of year to control the EHS.
| Pesticides | RBM | EHS | BWA | BTA* | Cinara** | SSM | HRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bifenthrin products (Talstar, Sniper) | None | May be some suppression but not long lasting control | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | None |
| Bifenthrin products (Talstar, Sniper) + Safari | None | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | None |
| Asana | None | May be some suppression but not long lasting control. | Excellent | Good | Excellent | None | None |
| Dimethoate | None | Poor | Poor | None | Excellent | Excellent control of active mites but eggs not controlled. Population may rebound. | Excellent control of active mites but eggs not controlled. Population may rebound. |
| Asana + Dimethoate | None | Poor | Excellent | Good. | Excellent | Excellent control of active mites but eggs not controlled. Population may rebound. | Excellent control of active mites but eggs not controlled. Population may rebound. |
*BTA control is for the following spring.
**Cinara aphid control is for harvest of that year.