Beetlejuice: “It’s Showtime”
Stephanie Porter takes us field scouting and the discovery of several ground beetles. She explains more about these insects and how they provide biological control of other insects on farms.
Cutworm Alert for Western Illinois
With recent reports of cutworm, ISA Outreach Agronomist, Stephanie Porter, shares scouting tips for these pests and thresholds for treatment.
Moderate Infestation of Aphids in Richland County, IL
Soy Envoy Matt Herman reports from a wheat field in Richland County and shares how he is using a drone to spray for an aphid infestation.
Dectes Stem Borer Biology and Management
Dr. Nick Seiter discusses insect management recommendations for soybean producers in Southern Illinois.
Bean There, Done That: Bean Leaf Beetles After a Moderate Winter
How will the moderate winter affect insect pests this year? Dr. Nathan Kleczewski and Dr. Nick Seiter explain how winter conditions impact the Bean Leaf Beetle (BLB) and what to look for in your fields to determine risk.
2022 Soybean Gall Midge Survey in Illinois
The 2022 soybean gall midge survey inspected soybean fields throughout Illinois to facilitate early detection of this new pest.
Do not forget to assess fields for wireworm and white grubs before planting
Although some parts of Illinois have started to get beans in the ground, most of us are still waiting for soils to dry out and warm up. Something that should be on our radars in the week or two before planting are soilborne insect pests that may affect our soybeans.
Considerations for insecticides in a post chlorpyrifos world
Chlorpyrifos is an insecticide in the organophosphate (OP) (IRAC-1B) group that has been in use since 1965. To put that in perspective, in 1965 Mike Ditka, Dick Butkus, Doug Atkins, and Gale Sayers were all starters for the Chicago Bears. This insecticide interferes with nerve signaling by preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, an important neurotransmitter molecule, in insects. Products with this chemistry (e.g., Cobalt, Lorsban, Stallion, numerous others) were used widely in food and grain crops due to the broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and highly translaminar activity of the chemical in plants. Unfortunately, some of the properties that made this [...]
Considerations for Insecticide Use
For many in the agriculture industry, a soybean field is an amazing population of plants that convert sunlight energy and nutrients into a high volume output of oil and proteins. However, to insect populations, a soybean field is an amazing buffet! Regardless of what we plant and when we plant it, Mother Nature will always send a critter to feed on it. If food sources are good, many insect populations will flourish in population and cause crop injury. As the 2021 soybean crop enters R3-R4 and R5-R6, be on the look out for bean leaf beetles and stink bugs [...]
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