Back to Integrated Pest Management Part 4

Pest Scouting and Monitoring

Pest Scouting and Monitoring
Download Whitepaper 32.04 MB

Two of the most important practices in IPM are frequently looking for early signs of insects and diseases (scouting) and tracking the severity of the infestation over time (monitoring).

These are accomplished by random plant inspections throughout the production area and by the use of sticky card traps. Scouting and monitoring help make it possible to identify pest issues and catch them early, when combined with quickly taking action with the most appropriate control measures.

Tips and Recommended Products for Smart Scouting

  • Know the pests that commonly affect CBD Hemp grown in controlled environments, their life cycles, symptoms and the injury they cause to the plants. We’ve included a description and images of major insects and diseases of CBD Hemp and their symptoms on the next few pages for reference.
  • Scout for the presence of pests on a daily basis. Search for typical plant injury and symptoms caused by a pest infestation. Randomly select plants across the room and lift a few leaves from the bottom, middle and upper third of the plants. Closely check for presence of pests. Special attention should be paid to buds and blooms. Use a hand lens or a microscope to help identify the pest.
    • Recommended Products:
      • Grower’s Edge® Illuminated Magnifier Loupe 40x
      • Grower’s Edge® Illuminated Microscope 60x-100x (Greater magnification level than the model above)
      • Grower’s Edge® Universal Cell Phone Illuminated Microscope with Clip 60x
  • Walk every aisle and move from bench to bench in a snake-like or zig-zag pattern. At least 10 minutes should be spent inspecting 20 or more plants for every 1,000 square feet of production area. Follow the same pattern every time scouting occurs.
  • Scouting should start at a main doorway, as this is often where disease and pest problems begin. Special attention should also be paid to plants around any other openings.
  • If necessary, mechanically remove and dispose of infested sections of plants. Sanitize any pruning device before using on a new plant. Consult pages 10-11 for recommended Hawthorne sanitizing products.
Pest Scouting and Monitoring

Tips and Recommended Products for Smart Monitoring

  • Use sticky card traps to monitor the severity of infestation from flying insects such as fungus gnats, winged aphids, thrips, whiteflies and adult leafminers. Yellow sticky card traps tend to be more attractive to aphids, whiteflies and fungus gnats, while blue traps are more effective for trapping thrips and adult leafminers.
    • Recommended Products Hawthorne Sticky Card Traps:
      • Sensor Cards Yellow Monitoring and Trapping Cards
      • Grower’s Edge® Aphid Whitefly Sticky Traps
      • Grower’s Edge® Thrips & Leafminer Sticky Traps
  • Traps should be placed in a grid-like fashion, with at least one card per 1,000 square feet of production area. Place traps just above the plant canopy and maintain the same position every time old traps are replaced by new ones. This allows for accurately determining the increase or decrease of pest populations as the production season ensues.
  • Check the cards at least twice a week and replace them approximately every 1-2 weeks, depending on the severity of the infestation. Make sure to identify, count and record the number of captured insects prior to discarding the cards.
  • Keep track of the severity of the pest infestations over time. Take note of where in the growing space the infestation arises and its corresponding spread to neighboring plants.

Products for Pest Scouting and Monitoring

Open as image

ProductWhatWhenWhy
Grower’s Edge® Illuminated Magnifier Loupe 40xPowerful 40x lens with an on/off switch for two LED lights.Useful at any time of the plant cycle.Helps to quickly scout for pests.
Grower’s Edge® Illuminated Microscope 60x–100xA very powerful illuminated pocket microscope offering adjustable magnification from 60x–100x.Useful at any time of the plant cycle.Ideal for a more in-depth observation of pests.
Grower’s Edge® Universal Cell Phone Illuminated Microscope with Clip 60xThis microscope can be clipped onto any smartphone or mobile phone that is equipped with a camera. Images can be taken with your camera and stored in your smartphone’s photo library.Useful at any time of the plant cycle.Images can be taken with your camera and stored in your smartphone’s photo library.
Grower’s Edge® Aphid Whitefly Sticky TrapsYellow sticky card traps to monitor flying insects such as fungus gnats, aphids, and whiteflies.Use during plant growth and flowering.Yellow traps are more attractive to fungus gnats, aphids, and whiteflies.
Grower’s Edge® Thrip and Leafminer Sticky TrapsBlue sticky card traps to monitor flying insects such as thrips and leaf miners.Use during plant growth
and flowering.
Blue traps are more attractive to thrips and leaf miners.
Sensor Cards Yellow Monitoring and Trapping CardsYellow sticky card traps to monitor flying insects such as fungus gnats, aphids, and whiteflies.Use during plant growth and flowering.Yellow traps are more attractive to fungus gnats, aphids, and whiteflies.
Pest Scouting and Monitoring
(Plant depicted is hemp)

Disclaimer: When using this guide for recommendations on treating plant pest issues, you must always verify and follow any and all product label directions for use as required by federal and state laws.

We use cookies to provide necessary site functionality and improve your experience. By using our website, you agree to our privacy policy and our conditions of use.

Accept