I think many people are confused here. As far as I understand it, no variety is resistant to Lemon blossom midge. Last year we had fields that were down 1t/ha due to damage. I didn't spray last year (had never heard or them!) and won't be this year. I believe @Fromebridge is saying too late anyway.
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OBM / Lemon Midge
- Thread starter John Slejpner
- Start date
- Location
- S E Glos
Adults emerge, mate then the female lays her fertilised eggs. That means you have a matter of hours to treat (with a pyrethroid) from the time they first appear (not from the time you first see them!)
(BTW just to confuse, Santiago was highest yielding variety in our Somerset variety trial last year)
(BTW just to confuse, Santiago was highest yielding variety in our Somerset variety trial last year)
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds
Seen a few orange and 1 lemon tonight after a decent rain this afternoon. Expect to see a lot more tomorrow night, fortunately only have a little Zyatt and Siskin to worry about. I shall avoid spraying unless absolutely necessary.
Last edited:
John Slejpner
Member
- Location
- Brick clay near Bedford
6 days on, and sometime this week the beneficials arrived..parasitic wasps possibly..and did for the aphids.
FarmerBruce
Member
- Location
- Yorkshire
What’s the threshold for OWBM??
- Location
- Dorset/Wilts
1 midge over six ears. Or a cloud when parting the crop
- Location
- S E Glos
1 midge over six ears for a quality wheat, 1 midge over 3 for feeds.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
There is No spray that is effective
John Slejpner
Member
- Location
- Brick clay near Bedford
50 ml hallmark in very well conditioned water, something like 4 bar plus thru an 025 air guardian, on a mild dead calm evening at dusk when the midge are all active ...will floor the lot of them.
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Not far off threshold this evening. I won't be spraying though.
- Location
- S E Glos
Likely after they've laid their eggs.
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
Resistant varieties here
Also too dry and wheat now past the damaging stage with nosign of any midge
Last year there was no spraying window on grafton which suffered low yields dry and very hot did not help either
Chucking insecticide about needlessly just makes other insect pests worse revenge spraying just waists money
John Slejpner
Member
- Location
- Brick clay near Bedford
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
Once the wheat has flowered its past damage stage
This week here
This week here
weight box was full after spraying beans with fungicide this week didn't put insecticide in this year
......... but recs will still be made and environmental damage will be done to lots of beneficials creating need for more recs to be made, slug pellets to be sold etc
when on earth will farmers see how ridiculous this treadmill is ? and how it vilifies them with their customers and benefits their suppliers ........ NOT them !
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
Looking in my wheat more than half of aphids have been parasitised
There are plenty of ladybirds and now larvae to control the low numbers
But if you put insecticide in the t3 as some do will make the problem worse later on
It take several years for benificials to recover
Because of the mild winter more benificials are in unsprayed fields
The Sprayed Insecticide available does not solve flea beetle or blossom midge with the numbers we have now
There are plenty of ladybirds and now larvae to control the low numbers
But if you put insecticide in the t3 as some do will make the problem worse later on
It take several years for benificials to recover
Because of the mild winter more benificials are in unsprayed fields
The Sprayed Insecticide available does not solve flea beetle or blossom midge with the numbers we have now