Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1949-12-07
County Agent
Reports Results
Recent Survey
State College
Specialists Work
With Agents In
Strawberry Spider
Mite Survey

4 survey of the SlraWDcrrE
spider mite situation in Columbus
County was made recently by Dr..
b. 3. Fulton and DR.. 7. Nj. Dob
rovsky. entomolo9iSt al state Col
leYe. with the help OF Mr.. }. +.
Quinerly, assistant county agent.
\ second survey by DR.. Dobrorsky
and MIR. c. d. Raper, Columbus
County Agent, has just been COM
pleted, and the results OF the sur
veys are reported here.
The first inspection. made ON
November 10. showed generally
LIGHT infcStation throughout the
field with the majority of straw
berry leaves without mites. and
THE infested leaves having usual
~ less than four MITES per lc.l,
Such. for example was the Sltua-
ton i'm field owned by Mr..
Homer Blackman of Route /.
Whitcvillc. In some instances.
mites were found only in one or
two limited spots of a strawberry
field: this WAS the situation In :;
field owned by Mr.. Joe Edmunds.
But in cases Ike this, the mites
were more numerous per infested
plant. On the first survey. no
mites were found ON one field
only.
The second survey indicated
that there still is not cause for
general alarm. While mites were
found in every one of the fields
that were inspected. in mosr
fields the number of infested
plants per field rs we'll as the
number of mites per plant were
both relatively low. In 4 few IN
stances. however. mites were
found distributed generally
throughout the field in consider"
able numbers. even though no APP
preciahle damage was visible. H.
on, field which had only ivy"
small infested spots at the TIME
Of the first survey. the mites
were found in considerable num-
bcrs throughout the entire field
on the SECOND inspection.
The question that every straw
berry grower wants answered Is
of course. whether on not he
should do something @hnut The
mite situation now. aud II 81
what. We asked DR.. DobrovSky
the same question, and he said
I'm the case of light infeStationS
/ fthc weather continues cold. nc
immediate action is needed. as
! The mites neither multiply nor
! feed heavily in cold weather. Ar
increase in mite populations anc
feeding activity will be sure Il
occur when relatively higher
temperatures persist fa a period
of few consecutive days. AT
such times an inSccticlde applIca-
ton is wise. In those fields where
the mite infeStation is now gem
cral and more advanced. and m
sccticide application should he
made at an early date.
The treatment against the
strawberry spider mite AT TINS
time of year and generally
throughout the winter season is
accomplished best by the use of
dinitro materials. They are ci.
frclive not only against the adult
and Young mites. but also against
mite eggs. Moreover. dinitro i'll
SrcticidcS arc effective against
plant lice and their EGGS.
\ suitable material for appllca.
ton on strawberries is dinitro ID
/ dust which contains ~ per cent
toxic material. This. or other
dinitrO duStS of the same strength
should be mixed with an equal
quantity of busting sulphur and
applied at the rate of 3O-4o
pounds of the mixture per acre.
the amount varying with the
width of the rows. The appllca-
ton should be made when both
ground and plants are dry. and
with considerable pressure to
force the dust on the under side
of all leaves.
CHARLES D. RAPER
County Agent