Spraying Bugs In The Dark

     I mentioned last week that in order to avoid harming the leafcutter bees, a farmer will spray the fields at night while the bees are sleeping in their houses. Any insect that sleeps out on the plants will get a good dose of insecticide.

     The main targets of the spraying are Lygus and Pea Aphids, both of which like to suck the juices out of alfalfa. The insecticide will have dissipated enough by morning that few bees will be harmed by it. It is unfortunate that any have to be harmed at all, but spraying is the only way to keep pests from destroying a the crop while maintaining yield.
     As you can see, the spray-rig lights up like a Christmas tree. With the wheel rows marked, and lights mounted all over their machine, a farmer can do a lot of good in a night. It does make for long days, though. Many farmers will hire a custom sprayer to do it for them. Either way, it needs to get done. The market needs that alfalfa, and the farmers need the money.