I’ve had several calls from the Mississippi River Bottoms and the southern counties of West Tennessee about high numbers of bean leaf beetles, sometimes as many as 200-400 per 100 sweeps. Bean leaf beetle feed primarily on foliage in the upper part of the canopy. They occasionally will feed on pods, although this occurs rarely and is hard to predict. Continue reading
Many fields are now well at or past cutout (< NAWF5), and some folks have made or are planning on their last insecticide spray. I wrote last week on the topic of terminating insecticide applications, for plant bugs in particular. Below are a few other points for consideration. Continue reading
Although insect pests don’t require treatment on all soybean acres, there are some common pests we need to scout and manage for on a routine basis. The most serious pests typically infest soybean after pods have begun to develop, and in many cases, the threat of insect infestations are worse in later maturing fields. However, soybeans should be scouted weekly for the presence of insect pests until full seed (R6) plus another 10 days. Continue reading
Reports are variable but many are seeing a large increase in the numbers of tarnished plant bugs in cotton, especially nymphs. It is disheartening when populations actually increase 5-7 days after an application was made, but this doesn’t generally indicate a insecticide failure. For example, we rated a test Continue reading
Below is a repeat of an article written in 2014, and this is just a reminder to be checking your pasture grasses for infestations of fall armyworms. I’ve received several reports of treatable infestations occurring in Bermudagrass. Continue reading
It’s shaping up to be a busy year managing plant bugs, but I’m also seeing and hearing about spider mites in some fields. I’ve previously discussed insecticide selection for plant bugs (see linked articles below). Now that almost all of the cotton is blooming, you should begin focusing on immature plant bugs when you sample. I prefer using Continue reading
I just wanted two remind folks that we have some good video resources to help you better manage insects in your crops. With one exception, these videos are about 10 minutes in length and focus on the most likely problems you will encounter. Continue reading
Below is an exact repeat of an article last year, actually on the same date, which is reminder that our first and second generation flights of southwestern corn borer (SWCB) tend to occur at the same time each year. Continue reading