A good pest-monitoring program can help growers keep the cost of pest control down while also minimizing the impact of pests on the fruit and trees, says integrated pest management consultant Astrid Goplen of Pasco, Washington. A monitoring program can enable growers to develop a pest management program that will be dependable in both the long and short term, she said during a Washington State University Fruit School this winter. The goal of monitoring is to empower the orchard owner or manager in their pest management decision-making. Monitoring begins with scouting and collecting data in the orchard. That data then […]