Re: CULT: Borer Comments (no pun intended)

From: Gullo <tgf@frontiernet.net>

Hi Nancy,

     This is an interesting idea about the possibility that iris borers
prefer gardens that have plantings of trees or shrubs.  I don't know if the
borers lay their eggs on the bark.  Has anyone seen any suggestion that
there is an alternate plant  host for iris borers?  I haven't seen any such
reference, but that doesn't mean that the possibility doesn't exist.  I know
that borers have wild iris populations that they can inhabit, as well as
countless gardens that have at least a few irises.  My own experience is
that the  more irises you grow the more likely the iris borers will find
your garden.  Having said that, both of my iris gardens have been surrounded
by tree and bushes.  It also is worth mentioning that I have seen plenty of
borer activity in past years.  I would think that the tree connection might
be due to the increased shade as opposed to the possibility that trees or
bushes might be an alternate host for the borer.
     I know that in the spring the hatch seems to stretch over a fairly long
time frame, and one suggestion I've seen is that some borers overwinter as
pupae and lay their eggs in the spring.  I've never heard of late summer
sightings of young borers, usually by late summer you find large larvae
preparing to pupate.  I wondered in an earlier post if adult moths could
possibly overwinter, though I have no personal evidence that this is so.  If
such a thing were possible then one could expect to see a late summer hatch,
as the moths would need time to mate and lay their eggs.
     I know from personal experience how devastating those monsters can be.
I've had good success using Murphy's Oil Soap to control iris borers.  I've
also talked with many people who use Cygon out of desperation, and I've
offered this suggestion to give the Murphy's a try on a test plot and see if
it controls effectively in comparison to Cygon.  There are also alot of
positive results using beneficial nematodes for borer control.
     Good luck Nancy.

Michael Gullo
West Walworth, New York, USA

Nancy Pocklington wrote:

> From: Nancy Pocklington <npocklington@accunet.net>
>
> Heard an iris grower say that he and his mother both raised irises in
> the same community but at different sites.  His mother (like many of us)
> had a "nice" yard with shrubs, trees, and many other perennials, and she
> always had borer problems.  His own were grown in an open field with
> nothing else around but grass, and he seldom had any borers.  His
> conclusion was that the bark of all these other
> shrubs was a favorite egg-laying host for the borer moths, and of
> course bark is not something one can rake up and burn.
>
> My own yard is of his mother's type, and experience here makes me
> think his theory is right.  The worst problems are invariably on
> clumps two years old or older, and the ones nearest the shrubs.
>
> This makes me wonder just how far borers do travel.  Does one ever
> get them from a neighbor, or only when they are imported on new
> plant stock?    Any comments?
> --
> Nancy Pocklington  (Fifty miles from the Mississippi River)
> Central Illinois, Mid West, Zone 5, USA
> P.S.:  They definitely hatch in waves, or a second generation comes on
> later in the summer.  We have found tiny worms in late summer growth.
> Hate to have to use Cygon all season, but it seems to be needed.
>
>


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