The Virginia Fruit Web Site:

En espaÃ±ol: El Manual de Monitoreo de Plagas, Enemigos Naturales y Enfermidades del Manzano, Peral y Cerezo: Una Guia Ilustrada para el estado de Washington (Orchard Monitoring Manual for Pests, Natural Enemies and Diseases of Apple, Pear and Cherry: An Illustrated Guide for Washington State)

Biological Control

Predators of Mites and Aphids Reprinted with permission from Mid-Atlantic Orchard Monitoring Guide, published by NRAES, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-5701. (607) 255-7654

Predators of Mites - L.A. Hull and R. L. Horsburgh

Predators of aphids - D. G. Pfeiffer and H. W. Hogmire

Syrphid flies (Syrphid flies in Orchard Monitoring Guide)
Aphid midge, Aphidoletes aphidimyza
Green and brown lacewings
Ladybird beetles
Minute pirate bugs (Andrews & Kuhar VCE Factsheet on pirate bugs)

Biological Control: Natural Enemies of North America (Cornell)

Identification of spiders collected in Virginia apple orchards. A European site has biological information on spider families that are common in orchards in eastern North America, e.g. salticids, thomisids, and araneids in the canopy, and lycosids in the ground cover.

Identification of Orchard Ground Beetles (carabids) in Virginia apple orchards, with information of their role as predators of fifth-instar codling moth (Riddick & Mills). Effect of organic conversion on carabids.

Toxicity to Orchard Predators from Pesticides [from 2013 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-419)]

Entomopathogenic Nematodes

General information (OSU)

Certis USA (source for entomopathogenic nematodes)

Chemical Control

Your Nearest Poison Control Center - (800) 222-1222

Label information:

Pesticide labels, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from CDMS
Kelly Solutions database used by VDACS
National Pesticide Information Retrieval System (NPIRS) label database

Control Recommendations (Use caution, because pest species and recommended controls vary regionally. Recommendations for commericial use and home use are made separately for specific reasons. Many pesticides used by commercial growers require applicators to be certified; these may not legally be purchased or applied by non-certified applicators. Materials recommended for home fruit production are safer for application in the typical homeowner environment.).

Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland 2013 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (Virginia and West Virginia Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-419) (Complete PDF version - hard copy of 2013 guide - $14.00 including tax. Shipping will be charged; contact http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/spraybulletinvegguidestore.html)

(Abridged html version)

IPM, Introduction
Tables of recommendations (See UVM link for color photos of bud growth stages)

2013 Pest Management Guide for Home Fruit (Virginia Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-018) in PDF format (Abridged html version) (The Pest Management Guide is available on-line for free. Hard copies are also available for $13.00 - See Pest Management Guide Store). Call 540-231-1322.

Disease and Insects
Weeds

To buy hard copies of Virginia Tech Recommendations

Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (VA-WV-MD)
Pest Management Guides

Commercial Vineyard PMG
Commercial Small Fruit PMG
Home Fruit PMG

Pesticide Applicator Training Manuals.

2012-2013 Penn State Tree Fruit Spray Recommendations
North Carolina 2008 Pest Management Recommendations
New England 2013 Pest Management Recommendations
Midwest 2013 Orchard Pest Management Recommendations
Midwest Tree Fruit Pest Management Handbook
Washington 2011 Pest Management Recommendations (PDF)

Regulatory updates on pesticides:

Pesticide labels, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and Toxicological and environmental profiles of specific pesticides in Virginia-West Virginia-Maryland recommendations, also through CDMS link

NPIRS State Pesticide Information Retrieval System

Toxicity to Orchard Predators from Pesticides [from 2013 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (Virginia and West Virginia Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-419)]

Efficacy to Apple Pests of Pesticides [from 2013 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (Virginia and West Virginia Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-419)]

Toxicity to Honey Bees of Fruit Insecticides [from 2013 Spray Bulletin for Commercial Tree Fruit Growers (Virginia and West Virginia Coop. Ext. Pub. 456-419)]

Information on organic pest control.

Modes of Action Classification Scheme for Insecticides (PDF), in Insecticide Resistance Action Committee (IRAC) group site (see IRAC Classification), and Fungicides (Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) site (FRAC Classification)

Insecticide Resistance Management (Breeze)

EPA Text on Pesticide Poisoning

Airblast spraying

Airblast sprayer calibration (Virginia Tech)
Instructionson Airblast Sprayer Calibration from New England
A calculator for dilute tree-row volume sprays, from Jon Clements at University of Vermont
A student demonstration on airblast calibration