Vegetable growers can now get advance warning of impending key vegetable crop pest threats, with the first of this season’s Horticultural Development Company (HDC) funded Pest Bulletins available to view free on the Syngenta website.

Pest specialist, Rosemary Collier, warned that, providing spring does not throw any wildly abnormal conditions at us, aphids will be flying considerably earlier than normal this year.

“The weather has been very mild this winter and people have started to ask how early certain pests will appear this spring,” she added. “Bearing in mind that the rate of insect development is largely dependent on temperature, calculations of weather data at Wellesbourne show winter 2014 has been the warmest this decade.”

Syngenta Field Technical Manager, Pete Saunders, pointed out some insect pest populations are hitting crops over a month ahead of this time last year, although 2013 was an exceptionally cold and late spring.

“It has highlighted how we are seeing increasing variability in the timing of pest attacks, which makes the monitoring and reporting through the HDC Pest Bulletins more important than ever.” 

Carrot Fly forecasts, for example, initially predict the first key trigger-point of 10% of first generation emerged will occur between 16 and 22 April, with egg-laying in the first week of May.  

Aphid monitoring, supplied as part of the HDC Pest Bulletin, predicts the most damaging and difficult to control Myzus persicae (Peach Potato Aphid) is expected as early as the first week of April in southern and eastern counties. For most areas that would typically make it amongst the earliest years since monitoring began - which is in its 50^th year as the Rothamsted Insect Survey.

“Aphid species that overwinter in active stages, including Myzus and the Potato aphid (Macrosiphum euphorbiae), are especially well suited to take advantage of mild winters,” warned Mr Saunders. “With pyrethroid resistance now so widespread among Myzus populations growers will need to be especially vigilant, and prepared to incorporate Plenum into their control programmes.”

As the season progresses, the HDC Pest Bulletins and Rosemary Collier’s Pest Blogs will cover key threats for brassicas – including aphids, caterpillars, Root Fly and beetles; carrot and parsnips; leeks and onions, along with a Cutworm forecast.

The HDC Pest Bulletins are available free for all growers and agronomists at www.syngenta.co.uk

Click here to go direct to the Pest Bulletin pages.