It seems a bit cruel to point out some potential pest issues in a season like we have had where few crops are even in and might not even get in. But some crops are in the ground and at risk. There are a few pests that will take advantage of delayed crop emergence or […]
With delayed planting, slower crop emergence and frequent rain events, early season pests get a longer period of time to feed on the seed and seedlings. There are a number of pests causing problems right now. Seedcorn maggots are causing injury in both corn and soybean fields. Although higher risk fields include those that have […]
When springs are cool and wet, it results in two things. 1) Difficulty with getting good weed control in before planting and 2) Pushing planting into cooler soils that may cause the seed to sit for a while. Both of these can increase the risk for early season pest issues. Here are some of the […]
Despite all this rain, pests are still doing quite well out there, as long as they have something to eat. We had a lot of snow cover this winter which has helped insulate any insects that overwinter and the cool wet soils are helping these soil pests remain active. Some are just waiting for their […]
It was a great summer. Even though some fields didn’t see a lot of moisture, many had just enough to keep slugs going for most of the season. I often found slugs on soybean or dry bean plants even during the middle of summer. And now with all of the corn scouting we have been […]
Gaps in the stand are starting to show this week. Aside from the typical culprits, moist soils can promote the less often accused. Millipedes are typically a beneficial arthropod that breaks down crop debris and decaying plant material. However, in the last few years, we’ve been seeing more direct feeding by them. What is happening? […]
I’m getting quite a few calls about slugs taking out soybean plantings not once but sometimes twice in the same field. It has been an ideal spring for slugs with all of this wet cool weather. And last fall was wet too, which helped all those slugs lay eggs and survive in these problem fields. Unfortunately there […]
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 […]