Asparagus Pests

Continuing Education Hours: Claim 2 hours if you do the reading, complete the pest profiles, and complete the quiz.

This Plants Plus focuses on pests of asparagus. We recommend doing this module after completing Perennial Garden Crops: Asparagus. Part of successfully growing this vegetable includes understanding how to manage common insect and disease problems. We recommend using Integrated Pest Management to guide your decision making when it comes to dealing with pests.

You’ll learn to:

Research a pest using appropriate sources
Manage asparagus pests using Integrated Pest Management techniques

READ

Begin with a quick refresher on Integrated Pest Management (IPM). Read through these bullet points on Integrated Pest Management from the National Pesticide Information Center. It’s good to keep IPM in mind when you do the next part of this module: creating pest profiles on common insect and disease pests of asparagus.

Optional: Want to learn more about this source of information? Use lateral reading techniques to help you assess if this is an appropriate resource.

RESEARCH

In this section, you’ll create pest profiles on common insect and disease pests of asparagus. Prepare yourself to catch problems before they’re out of control by learning about the biology of the pest and scouting recommendations. Outline the management options available, starting with non-chemical methods, and understand when to consider using chemicals.

Instructions:
1. Download the Asparagus pests worksheet. These notes are printable or can be filled out as a fillable form and saved on your computer. Don’t have a printer but like to write things down? It’s ok to take notes on a sheet of paper.
2. Read the instructions on the Asparagus pests worksheet.
3. Select one insect and one disease you would like to learn more about to simulate doing research for a volunteer activity.
4. Fill out the pest profile using 1-2 appropriate resources per pest profile. (One-two resources for the insect pest and 1-2 for the disease. You will not need to use every resource listed in the table.)

Resources:
We’ve provided numerous resources on common asparagus pests in the table below. Not all are appropriate resources to be used in the Wisconsin Extension Master Gardener Program for volunteer activities. It’s up to you to gauge what resources you should use to fill out your pest profile. Use your skills of lateral reading and click restraint to research if they are appropriate sources. Optional: Need a refresher on what is an appropriate resource? Check out the Finding Trustworthy Resources and What Counts and How to Count It, Resources sections in Onboarding-Lite.