A recent summer migration of soybean aphids in Ontario has resulted in many new fields having a fair number of aphids in them now. Fields that were scouted a week or two ago and were found to have very few aphids could now be closer to threshold than you think. Scouting is advised. Scout Cruiser treated fields too as we…
soybean aphids
SPIDERMITES: I have a sneaking suspicion that spidermites are making their way into those fields that haven’t had rain in a while. We have had situations in the past where not only have they popped up in soybeans and were being disregarded as “drought stress” symptoms but also in seed corn, especially around or just after wheat has been harvested in…
A lot of calls are coming in this week from growers and reps who have fields that are hovering around the 250 aphids per plant range. With the poor weather and wheat harvest some are anxious to make the call if they need to spray. In fact, there are some rumours out there that some are spraying before the field reaches 250…

This is a ladybeetle larvae. They can be black or a dull grey/purple with orange or yellow markings. If they are shaped like an alligator, they are a ladybeetle larvae. It will be an adult ladybeetle soon. Both the larvae and adults feed on aphids. The black velvet coloured aphid on the right is a parasitized soybean aphid. It…

Calls have been coming in from several areas across the province reporting fields that have reached threshold and need to be sprayed. The most recent hotspots include Huron County along lake Huron, Bruce County near Tara, fields north of Barrie, York and Durham and a large number of acres between Belleville and Cornwall. Just coming back from Eastern Ontario, I think…
Now that we are getting into the R1 (beginning bloom) stage of soybeans, we have a bunch of research to do on soybean aphids including trying different combinations of water volume, pressure and nozzle configurations and testing new novel insecticides for future registrations. But we need sites. So anyone that finds soybean fields (>25 acres) with aphids at or above 250 aphids…
High aphid numbers are being found in fields in counties bordering Lake Simcoe (Simcoe, Durham and Victoria). Spraying has been necessary in many of the fields that have been scouted. Scouting is advised in all fields in that region, starting first with the fields that were not treated with Cruiser. Cruiser treated fields should not be reaching threshold yet but could…

We are starting to see natural enemies moving into the soybean fields to feed on the aphids there. Ladybugs and syrphid fly larvae are the most evident but there have been a few fungal mummies starting to show up too, thanks to this moist week. This cooler weather will slow down the aphids doubling rate a bit and help the…

I’ve had a few calls come in this week about this issue. Some reps are starting to find about 15 – 30 aphids per plant and want to know if they should tankmix some insecticide in with the herbicide since they have to spray the weeds this week anyway, in hopes of getting ahead of the aphid infestation. Straight up this is…
We are starting to scout our soybean sites for 2009. Our weekly scouting results are available on the IPM PIPE Network at: http://sba.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi?host=All%20Legumes/Kudzu&pest=soybean_aphid We will be updating these maps weekly and will include any key observations and recommendations within the commentary for both soybean aphids and bean leaf beetles. To see the Ontario commentary, you need to zoom in to the province…
After very little effort on our part, we were able to find soybean aphids on soybeans in the Arva Ontario area. Only 5-10% of the plants had 1-15 aphids per plant on average but we found them in every field that was within the VC, almost V1 stage. Similar reports are coming in from Eastern Ontario. Ohio just reported to us…
Heard from two credible sources that soybean aphids are on VC and V1 stage soybeans at London’s AAFC (North East side of London) as well as a few fields in Eastern Ontario and Southern Quebec. I will be doing a more thorough search this afternoon North of London too to see how widespread the aphids are colonizing in that area. No high…
Chris DiFonzo just notified me that she has found soybean aphids on early planted soybeans in Michigan. This is a very good indication that Ontario could have aphids on any soys that have emerged. Try to get out and scout fields between the rains this week. If anyone finds fields with aphids in them, please notify me as we are trying…
Since there is not much crop up yet to spot feeding injury on, there really is not much happening yet on the insect front. However, anyone that did push planting and planted into too wet or cool soils, or deep planted may start seeing some issues when the crops starts to emerge. Millipedes and slugs in particular could be a…
Just in case some of you are keen and plan to be scotuing this long weekend, there are a few critters you should be watching for. Alfalfa weevil (AW) larvae are starting in some fields. So far just the smaller 1st and 2nd instars but warmer weather will help them grow too. Stay ahead of any infestations by scouting the…