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Low Insect Pressure This Year?

3K views 28 replies 26 participants last post by  Christian 
#1 ·
So as not to hijack Slackercruster's thread about biting insects, I'd like to pose a question in a separate thread. Are any of you out there experiencing a lot lower insect pressure this year? I really hate to ask the question for fear of jinxing a good thing. :D:

This year has been quite a different one relative to quantity of and damage from insects in the garden. The year started with hardly any Japanese beetles at all, a rarity. There were few webworm webs up in the trees. I spied not one Colorado Potato beetle on the potatoes or eggplant. And flea beetles weren't lacing up brassicas as heavily as they usually try to do.

Amazingly, there have been zero squash vine borers. That's unheard of. Squash bug, stink bug and leaf footed bug populations are either running really late or are really in low numbers. Leaf footeds generally come on later in the season so I hope they're not listening to this and decide on a "Well, we'll show HER!" strategy.

I chalk up the finding of just two tomato hornworms to a luckily timed application of bT to tomato plants. The pickleworm has attacked the squash and cukes one time but I'm trying to keep those plants covered at night. Hopefully there will be just this one wave this summer, not two or three.

It all seems odd. Believe me when I say I'm not complaining, no-sir-ee!
But I am wondering if this is just a local thing, regional or happening in general everywhere.

What's happening where you are?
 
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#28 ·
Early Fall Update: The leaf-footed bug population, which usually shows up in droves near the end of summer, has pretty much been a one here-one there thing so far. Flea beetles have still been fewer. Fall web worms and army worms have been pretty absent with just one instance of army worms on one tomato plant. It's very strange. But I'll take it!

But I have to remember. It's felt like October for a while which is really unusual but it's still September. These pests usually hit peak in October around here so I'll keep watching through frost time. That could be early this year.
 
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