Foliar diseases should be managed with Mancozeb or Ziram, plus a single-site fungicide, to maintain pressure and inoculum at low levels, protecting fruit and maintaining a healthy orchard going into the next season. See the New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Where fire blight is present, it is appropriate to prune out infected shoots. Prune out strikes on dry, cooler days, cut back 8-12” back into healthy tissue, and sterilize pruners between cuts.

Pear psylla: Where psylla adults are still being found, options for control include Actara, Assail, and Belay (IRAC group 4A); Sivanto Prime (IRAC group 4D); Delegate (IRAC Group 5); and products containing abamectin (IRAC group 6). Other options include Movento (IRAC Group 23). The addition of 0.25-1 gal of summer oil may improve control. Avoid applying oil at high temperatures, and do not mix with captan. Be sure to read and follow the label instructions for adding penetrants to products.

Bacterial spot: This disease is still present in some orchards and can be found on developing fruit (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Bacterial spot on developing peach fruit.

Peach scab: Maintain good coverage with captan or other effective fungicides until July in orchards where scab was previously an issue.

Brown Rot: Most growers should rely on a captan-based program for mid-season covers, followed by better materials during the last 3 weeks pre-harvest when fruit is present. See the NJ Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/7 for southern counties and 4/15 in northern counties. Treatment timings targeting the second generation are shown in the table below.

Japanese Beetles: Japanese beetles have been observed feeding in orchards. Products containing imidacloprid (Admire Pro, Leverage 360) are effective and have a short preharvest interval.

Scale: Crawler emergence is active in orchards across the state. If crawlers are present, treatment options include Movento, Esteem, Centaur, Sivanto, and neonicotinoids (for suppression only). Movento, Esteem, and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence.

Thrips: We continue to observe moderate thrips activity in orchards throughout the state. Delegate or Entrust at the highest labeled rate are the usual recommended materials for thrips present in stone fruit. Lannate also has activity on thrips. These materials all have short PHI’s and may be applied close to harvest where injury is observed.

Tarnished plant bugs and other catfacing insects: Insects are active, but new fruit feeding injury has been minimal.

Lesser and Greater Peach Tree Borers: We continue to trap high numbers of both species. If this has been a historical pest in your orchard, mating disruption is recommended. Continue monitoring and managing as usual in problem blocks with mating disruption or trunk sprays.

Average Trap Captures in Peach – Southern Counties

Average Trap Captures in Peach – Northern Counties

Scouting was conducted last week across 180 commercial and organic blueberry fields in Burlington and Atlantic Counties. Field evaluations focused primarily on inspecting fruit for insect injury and assessing aphid infestations on new vegetative terminals. Aphid populations increased compared with the previous week, although average colony sizes remain low, with approximately 1–5 aphids per infested shoot (Table 1).

Table 1: Aphid Infestation on New Terminals

Trap Monitoring

Although spotted-wing drosophila trap captures remain low compared to previous years, SWD remains the primary target for insecticide applications at this time (Table 2). For management recommendations for SWD in blueberry and other berry crops, reference Rutgers Cooperative Extension Factsheet FS1246 and SWD Insecticides for Berries.

Table 2. Spotted-Wing Drosophila and Blueberry Maggot Traps

Table 3. Sharp-nosed Leafhopper and Oriental Beetle Traps

Scale: We continue to monitor scale crawler activity for both terrapin scale and Putnam scale. We observed a decline in crawler activity (Table 4) and scale infestations on fruit (Table 5).

Table 4. Scale Traps

Table 5. Scale infestation on fruit

The IPM team has observed anthracnose on ‘Duke’ blueberries, as well as mummy berry and Alternaria fruit rot. Alternaria incidence can increase due to injuries from mechanical harvesting, which create entry points for infection.

For blueberry production and management recommendations, please reference the recently revised 2026 Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey.

We continue to capture Grape berry moth in pheromone traps, which have slightly increased in number, indicating adults are actively in flight. Applications for GBM using Intrepid or Diamides should be made at 810 DD base 47°F from wild grape or native grape varieties (Concords were at trace bloom on 5/19 in southern counties). Other effective materials can be applied a few days later. We are past the projected treatment window as predicted by the NEWA Grape Berry Moth model; however, you can monitor bunches to determine if further treatment is needed. Check especially on edge rows near the woods. If 5% of clusters show damage, then treatment is justified.

Japanese beetle pressure is increasing in vineyards throughout the state. Vines with well-developed canopies can withstand some Japanese beetle pressure, but where vines are stressed and vigor is reduced, see the NJ Commercial Grape Production Guide for more information on insecticides effective against this pest.

Foliar diseases should be managed with Mancozeb or Ziram, plus a single-site fungicide, to maintain pressure and inoculum at low levels, protecting fruit and maintaining a healthy orchard going into the next season. See the New Jersey Commercial Tree Fruit Production Guide for more information.  

The number of pear trees showing symptoms of shoot blight has increased. When blight is present, it is appropriate to prune out infected shoots. Prune out strikes on dry, cooler days, cut back 8-12” back into healthy tissue, and sterilize pruners between cuts.  

Pear psylla: Psylla adults are still actively laying eggs, and nymphs continue to hatch. Options for control include Actara, Assail, and Belay (IRAC group 4A); Sivanto Prime (IRAC group 4D); Delegate (IRAC Group 5); and products containing abamectin (IRAC group 6). Other options include Movento (IRAC Group 23). The addition of 0.25-1 gal of summer oil may improve control. Be sure to read and follow the label instructions for adding penetrants to these products.  

Bacterial spot: Growers should continue to manage symptoms with oxytetracycline and lower copper rates, particularly during rainy periods and severe weather. Avoid combining copper with captan, especially following extended cloudy or slow-drying conditions.  

Peach scab: Maintain good coverage with captan or other effective fungicides until July in orchards where scab was previously an issue.  

Oriental Fruit Moth (OFM): A biofix point for OFM was set on 4/7 for southern counties and 4/15 in northern counties. Treatment timings targeting the second generation are shown in the table below.  

Scale: Crawler emergence is active in orchards across the state (Figure 3). If you had known high populations of scale last year, it is important to note if crawlers are present, even if you treated with oil in the early spring. If crawlers are present, then treatment options include Movento, Esteem, Centaur, Sivanto, and neonicotinoids (suppression only). Movento, Esteem, and Centaur should be applied at the start of crawler emergence.  

Figure 3. San Jose scale crawlers on a peach branch. Photo by Dave Schmitt.

Green Peach Aphid: We continue to observe reduced aphid populations across farm sites. If more than 1 colony of aphids per tree is found in nectarines, or 2-3 colonies are found in peaches, an insecticide for aphids is needed. Management options include Assail, Actara, Admire Pro, or Sivanto.  

Thrips: Thrips continue to be present in peach blocks. Delegate or Entrust at the highest labeled rate are the usual recommended materials for thrips in stone fruit. Lannate also has activity on thrips. These materials all have short PHI’s and may be applied close to harvest when damage typically appears.   

Plum Curculio: We continue to report on recent injuries to developing peaches and apples across the state. If recent injury is observed, management options include Avaunt and neonicotinoids (Actara, Belay).  

Tarnished plant bugs and other catfacing insects: Recent fruit feeding injury remains low.   

Lesser and Greater Peachtree Borers: We continue to trap high numbers of both lesser and greater peachtree borers. If this has been a historical pest in your orchard, mating disruption is recommended. Continue monitoring and managing as usual in problem blocks with mating disruption or trunk sprays.

Average Trap Captures in Peach – Southern Counties  

Average Trap Captures in Peach – Northern Counties  

Scouting was conducted last week across 177 commercial and organic blueberry fields in Burlington and Atlantic Counties. Field evaluations focused primarily on fruit inspections for pest injury and assessments of aphid infestations on newly developing terminals.  

Leafroller and Plum Curculio: Monitoring of developing fruit indicated a decline in feeding and/or oviposition injury caused by leafrollers and plum curculio (Table 1).  

Table 1. Fruit Monitoring Data  

Aphids: Aphid populations declined slightly compared with the previous week, with average colony sizes remaining low at approximately 1–5 aphids per shoot (Table 2). 

Table 2: Aphid Infestation on New Terminals  

Trap Monitoring: Spotted-wing drosophila (Table 3), sharp-nosed leafhoppers (Table 4), and oriental beetle (Table 4) trap captures increased this week. At this time, spotted-wing drosophila is the primary target pest for insecticide applications.  

Table 3. Spotted-Wing Drosophila and Blueberry Maggot Traps  

Table 4. Sharp-nosed Leafhopper and Oriental Beetle Traps

Cranberry fruitworm and Cherry fruitworm: Trap captures indicate that activity has decreased (Table 5). 

Table 5. Cranberry/Cherry Fruitworm Traps

Scale: Crawler activity of both terrapin scale and Putnam scale continues to increase (Table 6). Growers who observed scale infestations last season should begin considering management options at this time. During last week’s scouting, scale-infested fruit were detected in some fields (Table 7).  

Table 6. Scale Traps  

As harvest approaches, SWD remains the primary target for insect management. When selecting insecticides, special consideration should be given to products with shorter pre-harvest intervals (PHIs) that provide effective control of these pests while also helping suppress scale crawler populations and other pest populations above threshold levels. See the Blueberry Bulletin or Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey for recommendations.

The IPM scouting team has observed anthracnose symptoms in some ‘Duke’ fields. Growers should continue to monitor susceptible varieties and consult the Rutgers Commercial Blueberry Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey for current fungicide recommendations and management options.  

Grape Berry Moth (GBM): Adult GBM captures in pheromone traps have slightly increased, indicating the start of the second-generation flight. Applications targeting GBM with Intrepid or diamide insecticides should be made at 810 DD (base 47°F) from wild grape bloom or native grape varieties (Concords were at trace bloom on May 19 in southern counties). Other effective materials can be applied a few days later.

As of June 16, Gloucester County has accumulated 637 DD (base 47°F), placing the projected treatment window between June 22–26. The NEWA Grape Berry Moth Model works best when growers enter their own bloom dates. Since bloom has been highly variable this season, growers may also use January 1^st as a biofix. Using a January 1^st biofix, second-generation treatments should be timed at 1200–1400 DD (base 47°F). Refer to the Commercial Grape Pest Control Recommendations for New Jersey for specific management options.

Note: Adult GBM captures have remained low, and delayed fruit development has been observed across the state. To determine whether treatment is warranted, monitor clusters several days before the anticipated spray timing, particularly on vineyard edges adjacent to wooded areas. Treatment is justified when 5% of clusters show injury.

Figure 4. Corolla tissue is still attached to developing grapes.

Bloom is the critical period for protecting clusters from downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot, Botrytis bunch rot, and ripe rot. Additional information on bloom-time fungicide programs is available in this Virginia Tech blog post by Dr. Mizuho Nita.

During bloom, we have observed corolla tissue remaining attached to developing fruit (Figure 4).

Cool, damp conditions favor Botrytis development, and infections can establish on retained corolla tissue. Therefore, maintaining fungicide coverage for Botrytis as fruit develops will be important. Recommended materials can be found in the New Jersey Commercial Grape Production Guide.