Tag Archives: headworm

Headworms in Grain Sorghum

Grain sorghum maturity ranges from milk to hard dough.  Sorghum fields that have not reached hard dough should be scouted for headworms and stink bugs.  And all sorghum should be scouted for sugarcane/sorghum aphids. We have not found aphids in colonies greater than 20-40 feet in size.  Most of these are being consumed by beneficial insects such as lady beetle, lacewing, and syrphid fly larvae. What was most noticeable this week was worms in younger sorghum fields.  The older sorghum in soft dough or beyond did not seem… 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 →

Grain Sorghum Across the Board

Sorghum fields range in maturity from 4-5 leaf to bloom. This is the result of planting across 5-6 weeks. As a result of this we need to be on the lookout for a wide variety of insect pests. Headed sorghum should be checked for stink bugs and headworms. Scout for these pests using a small bucket, beating the heads into the bucket and count what remains. Follow this link for a brief video demonstrating how to scout sorghum after bloom. LINK My economic threshold for headworms is 1… Read More →

Sorghum IPM Meeting – July 9

Date: Tuesday, July 9 Time: 9 am Location: Sorghum Field near Port Lavaca on Gin Road, Just north of FM 2433 Topics: Crop development, Midge, Headworms, Stink Bugs and Sugarcane Aphids will be discussed CEUs: 1 hour CEU will be provided.

Headworms, Stink Bugs and Sugarcane Aphids in Grain Sorghum

We have been finding Rice Stink Bugs, Headworms and Sugarcane Aphids in Sorghum fields  of the Mid-Coast of Texas. Scout sorghum using a 2-gallon bucket and beat heads into the bucket and see what is being captured in the bucket. Look here for a brief video. Economic thresholds for stink bugs and headworms depend on the cost of control, expected crop value, and sorghum heads per acre. Look here for an economic thresholds calculator. I am using an economic threshold of 0.5 – 1 stink bug per head,… Read More →