As spring settles in, California’s orchards and vineyards are beginning to show more signs of life. With warmer days ahead and no rain in the 10-day forecast, it’s a good time to start tracking early pest activity.
Below is our March pest trap report, summarizing what we’re seeing in the Semios pest monitoring network so far.
Navel Orangeworm
Catches are starting to roll in from navel orangeworm traps across Fresno, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties.
Kings County is showing particularly strong catches, with one location peaking at 288 in a single day shortly after trap installation.
California Red Scale
At this time, California red scale activity has been verified in a few citrus blocks. Our first California red scale catches of the season have been reported in Fresno County. Based on a March 15 biofix, degree-day accumulation for California red scale is currently around 60–80 degree days Fahrenheit (DDF) at Semios-monitored sites.
Vine Mealybug
To date, past vine mealybug presence can be seen, but no current activity has been observed in blocks protected with Semios Mating Disruption. This can change quickly as vine mealybug degree days continue to amass. As expected, degree days are accumulating more quickly in southern California than in the north.
What to Watch Going Forward
We are off to a beautiful spring, and as temperatures move into the 80s, we expect pest activity to pick up. Keep an eye on traps and keep reviewing past hot spots in your vineyards and orchards. This is a good time for Semios customers to set up their trap catch and degree days alerts, so you can take action quickly when critical thresholds are met.
Semios trap customers can review trap catch counts on the mobile app and review daily trap images.
Our Semios network will continue to provide regular updates to help you plan timely, targeted pest management strategies. As always, our grower relations team is here to help support your farm’s unique needs.
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