Monthly Archives: May 2024

South Texas Audio Updates

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We have been recording pest updates in effort to provide a brief audio version of South Texas newsletters and blog posts. The reports include crop production and pest management updated from South Texas, including the Rio Grande Valley, Coastal Bend and Mid-Coast. You can get these by following this link: https://www.texasinsects.org/south-texas.html Signup to get text message notification of new IPM Audio posts Use this link for all IPM Audio Updates: https://www.texasinsects.org/agriculture-audio-updates-home.html

Squaring Cotton and the Cotton Fleahopper

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Most of the cotton in the Mid-Coast of Texas is squaring. During the squaring period, the primary insect pest of cotton in South Texas is the cotton fleahopper. This insect can cause small square abscission. The fruit loss can reduce yield and delay crop maturity. The cotton fleahopper adult is about 1/8 inch long, with piercing-sucking mouthparts and a flattened body (Fig. 16). Adults are active flyers; they readily flit within the cotton canopy when disturbed, which makes insect sampling a challenge. Their eggs are not visible because… Read More →

Corn Leaf Aphids in Corn

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A couple of weeks ago, Corn Leaf Aphids were found in corn fields in Calhoun and Jackson counties.  Field populations ranged from 1-3% infested plants to 40% infested plants and infested plants had 1,000-3,000 aphids per leaf in the top three leaves on the plant. Most fields were already tasseling and silking but some were pre-tassel. By the time I saw them in the field (May 2), there was already 10-20% parasitized aphid mummies and large lady beetle larvae of at least two lady beetle species. A research… Read More →

Proposed changes to Acephate insecticide labels

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The EPA is proposing changes to the labeled uses of Acephate. These changes include “The proposed mitigation is to cancel all uses except tree injection…” Growers and other stakeholders are encouraged to comment to identify critical uses of acephate. Acephate, Proposed Interim Decision FR Notice: https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-09181 Docket: https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0915 PID: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0915-0069 See more here:  20240509_PID Summary for Core Group and IPM Centers.