Natural Enemies are Moving In

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 natural enemies catch up.   Hopefully with this combination we will safely arrive in the R1 stage of soybeans before aphid numbers build up to concerning levels.  Once R1 is reached, we can follow the well proven threshold of “250 aphids per plant and increasing, when found on 80% of the plants during R1 to R5 stages.

Syrphid fly larvae feeding on soybean aphids
Syrphid fly larvae feeding on soybean aphids