Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/350705
Yellow jackets mostly fly into orchards from nests in nearby buildings or in the ground. Control To date, control measures have not been developed— other than a return to harsh, potentially IPM-disruptive insecticides, Biddinger said, and these probably would not affect the yellow jacket source nests. Yellow jacket damage is likely to be greater at orchard edges next to wooded areas or other nesting sites. Border sprays or poisoned baits might have some effect. Homeowners can buy control products for both species, which generally consist of pyrethroids and penetrants for quick knockdown. These are expensive and impractical for control in orchards except on a limited basis, he said. "The use of even a single pyrethroid spray after bloom would also most likely kill predatory mites and flare populations of pest mites," he said. Biddinger has spent much of his career developing biocontrol methods, only to see them disrupted by the invasion of brown marmorated stinkbug. Biddinger thinks a potential method of controlling hornets and yellow jackets would be to focus on the new queens in the spring, when they are just starting to build nests. "That would be much easier than killing them in the fall when the nests are much bigger, better protected, and when they consist of several thousand individuals. "Timing of a single broad-spectrum organophosphate insecticide spray at a critical time may be key to reducing populations," he said. The timing and effectiveness have not yet been studied. The use of traps baited with fish or other meat early in the season may also be effective. These also have not been evaluated for use on a commercial scale. • www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower AUGUST 2014 21 Growers & Fruit Industry Truck Buyers. . . Partner up with your GMC Business Elite Dealer Lee Peterson Motors Every dollar counts in the ag business, and you need hard working trucks from a reliable dealer you can trust, your GMC Business Elite Dealer. 410 S. First Street • Yakima • 509-575-6372 L P MOTORS .com www Click! Drive! Save! MON-FRI 8 AM - 6 PM SAT 8 AM - 5 PM SUN 11 AM - 4 PM Business Elite Dealer. 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 Regular Cab Standard Box Rich Ausink Fleet Manager Jim Peterson General Manager The right truck customized to your specific agricultural businees needs. rich@lpmotors.com jim@lpmotors.com