As the planting season is coming to an end, now is the perfect time for those insect pests to be making their appearances and farmers need to keep an eye out on those newly vulnerable crops.
University of Illinois Field Crops Entomologist Nick Seiter says the insects across their crops can vary, and farmers need to be on the lookout.
?For instance, if you have a field with a lot of residues and you’ve had a lot of moisture in that area, you might be looking for slug damage. That would be, in particular, in the southern part of the state where there is a lot of no-till production. If you are in a situation where the burn-down herbicide wasn’t very effective, where you are in a hairy situation planting into a lot of broadleaf weeds then black cutworm damage would be something to watch. If you are following a grass cover crop or grassy weeds, then maybe fall armyworm.?
June is the perfect time for a variety of insects to start popping up in your fields. But the real problem isn?t questioning when they will pop up, but rather what to do about it says Seiter.
?You really won’t be able to learn when to distinguish yield-limiting damage from actual cosmetic chewing, feeding, which we see a lot of this time of year. Really in soybean and especially in corn, the general rule is that if the stand is threatened then there is a chance you have a yield-limiting pest. But if you are not losing stand, but just seeing a little chewing – something we see almost every year – that’s a situation where you are going to outgrow that damage. Your crop probably will not suffer any lasting effects from a little bit of cosmetic chewing.?
As Seiter says, it is best to focus on the insects that can potentially reduce stand. These can include but are not limited to black cutworm, armyworm, and slugs. If there is a bean pod mottle virus present, bean lead beetles can be a problem generally. As of right now, the Illinois Extension entomologist says the damage he has been hearing across the state has been relatively minor.
?Maybe those will start coming in more rapidly now that planting is wrapping up. Folks should have more time to look at what has been planted. Again, when we have nice warm, favorable conditions for early season growth, as we’ve had in much of the state, that helps to alleviate insect problems we can see this time of year.?
Nick Seiter is a field crops entomologist at the University of Illinois.
