Growing with growers since 1946
  • May 15th 2010 Issue
  • Story by Geraldine Warner
  • Wasps ruin cherry crop

    The European paper wasp has caused serious damage in cherries in British Columbia and in wine grapes in Washington State.

    The European paper wasp looks similar to a yellow jacket, but has a narrower body and longer hind legs. Cherry growers in British Columbia, Canada, are battling a pest that last year forced several of them to walk away from their crop before ­picking. The European paper wasp (Polistes dominulus) was first reported to be causing damage in the province in 2003, but it became a serious problem in the Creston Valley three years ago, reports Duane Holder of FarmQuest Consulting, Ltd., in Creston. In 2008, damage was less severe, but last season, ­damage was serious again and several orchards […]

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