Tag Archives: economic threshold
Fall Armyworms in Bermudagrass Hay Fields
All summer we have seen high numbers of fall armyworms in bermudagrass hayfields and pastures. Last week, I sprayed a Fall Armyworm insecticide control trial in a bermudagrass hayfield near Port Lavaca. To further complicate things, the field received rainfall 3 days after applications. This typifies what we have been experiencing this year. When scouting with a sweep net, we found very high numbers of fall armyworms. Pre-treatment counts averaged around 250 worms per 5 sweeps. The economic threshold I use is 25 per 5 sweeps. In this… Read More →
Midge in Grain Sorghum
Grain sorghum fields range in maturity from nearing bloom to soft dough and all of these fields need to be scouted frequently. Blooming sorghum is susceptible to sorghum midge and field scouts are finding more midge in the fields this week. Scout sorghum fields 2-3 times per week until past bloom. Start by scouting fields on the south side (downwind) as the midge is a poor flyer and will be found on the field margins first. When you are finding them on field margins, move 150-200 feet into… Read More →
Stink Bugs in Grain Sorghum
The Stink Bug is a primary insect pest of grain sorghum from bloom until hard dough. The insect feeds directly on the seed, reducing seed weight and yield. The most common stink bug in grain sorghum of the Mid-Coast is the Rice Stink Bug. Scout sorghum after bloom using a small bucket and beat heads into the bucket and see what is being captured in the bucket. Look here for a brief video. Economic thresholds (ET) have been evaluated and can be determined using tables or equations, but this… Read More →
Stink Bugs in Soybean Fields
Over the past week we have been finding increased numbers of stink bugs in soybean fields. Most of these stink bugs were green, southern green and red-banded stink bugs. My preferred method to scout for stink bugs is the sweep net, but a good alternative is the drop cloth. As a last resort, you can shake the plants over the furrow and see what falls onto the ground. The disadvantage of shaking on the ground is you may miss some of the insects that can fall into cracks… Read More →
Pest Update and 2020 Insect Thresholds
This week we have been finding low numbers on insect pests in cotton, grain sorghum and soybeans. Cotton ranges from 1/3 grown square to mid-bloom. While most fields are below threshold, we have found a few fields with 30-40 cotton fleahoppers per 100 plants. Continue to monitor for cotton fleahoppers until bloom and treat when they exceed an economic threshold of 15 per 100 plants. Blooming cotton has had significant bollworm moth flights this week but so far, egg numbers have been low. Bollworms are important pests and should… Read More →
