Bin sled improves harvest efficiency
Darrel Oakes uses inexpensive sleds instead of trailers to move bins in the orchard. (Photo by Melissa Hansen)
Target pear psylla early
A close-up view of psylla honeydew droplets on fruit surface. The most effective time to control pear psylla
Direct sales boost LynOaken Farms’s profits
To stay competitive in the fruit industry, some get larger to achieve economies of scale. Others, like one western New
Psylla is everyone’s problem
Pear psylla is not an individual orchardist’s problem—it is a neighborhood issue. The pest disperses in the winter and flies
Ballot shows support for SIR program
British Columbia fruit growers have voted to continue their support for the Canadian province’s innovative but costly codling moth control
The sweet “smell” of pest control
Plants that are under attack emit distress signals to warn neighboring plants they are vulnerable, says WSU entomologist Dr.
Small made no small contribution
Orchardist Jim Small of Entiat, Washington, was honored for serving 28 years on the board of the Washington Growers Clearing
Soft pesticides can be hard on beneficials
Some of the new “soft” pesticides that have been developed in recent years are not so soft on beneficial insects
New mites detected in Washington vineyards
Bronzing of grape leaves in the summer is a telltale sign of grape rust mite. (Photo courtesy of Washington
Life after organophosphates
Suitable alternatives to organophosphates are available for Western cherry fruit fly, says a U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist. But achieving