Tag Archives: Cotton Aphids

Rain and Square Loss

Posted on by

Scouting fields this week we are finding each field is different from the next. Much of this has to do with how the rain affected the field. If the water got off the field or did not stand for too many days, the crop was better off. Fields that held water are more likely to have square losses. Many of these fields have lost the larger squares leaving fruit smaller than match-head square. An example of this is shown. I removed the leaves showing the lower four squares have… Read More →

Thrips and Fleahoppers in Some Cotton Fields

Posted on by

This week while scouting cotton fields in Calhoun, Refugio, and Victoria Counties, we have found thrips, cotton fleahopper, and aphids. A few young cotton fields have thrips above economic levels of 1-2 per true leaf. This is not a comment I am fond of making because, I rarely think of thrips as an economic pest in cotton fields of the Mid-Coast. The problem we are seeing is more of a factor of lack of rainfall than the presence of thrips. In most years, our cotton fields are growing… Read More →

Early Season Cotton IPM

Posted on by

The oldest cotton in the Mid-Coast is squaring and the youngest is just emerging from the ground.  Pest management in early season is primarily focused on two or three insect pests: Thrips, Cotton Fleahopper and Aphids. It is important to consider the pest, its numbers and the crop stage when deciding whether or not to add an insecticide to the tank.  Even if it only costs $1, an unneeded tank partner will reduce crop profits. Thrips can be a yield limiting pest until the cotton plants have 4-5… Read More →

Early Season Cotton Pests

Posted on by

Cotton in the field is as old as 3-4 leaf stage. This year’s crop has already been through a lot of turmoil from high winds and blowing sand to cold temperatures in the 40s. Early season cotton insect pests include thrips, aphids and mites. Seed treatments are usually effective in controlling these pests but sometimes problems will still occur. We have found several fields in Calhoun County with mite problems. Mites feed on the underside of the leaf. They feed by piercing plant cells with their mouthparts and sucking… Read More →

Cotton Aphids in Seedling Cotton

Posted on by

Cotton field maturity ranges from emergence to plants with 3-4 true leaves. Most fields are cotyledon to 1-true leaf. The normal insect pests we see in seedling cotton include thrips, cutworms, mites and aphids. When scouting seedling cotton plants, I usually pull a plant from the ground and look at the leaves for insects.  This week I have found Cotton Aphids in many fields.  Most of the aphids are winged, indicating they have recently arrived. But some plants have both winged and small wingless aphids. First, aphids are rarely yield limiting to seedling cotton plants.  Most… Read More →