Tag Archives: Stink Bugs
Cotton Insect Report
Cotton plant maturity ranges from 9-14 true leaves. We began seeing blooms in a few fields. The fields with blooms had 6-7 nodes above white flower, which shows the effect of drought stress. The water demand of a crop increases significantly as bloom nears and fruit production begins. If we do not get rainfall soon, expect to see wilting cotton fields in the afternoons. Fortunately, we have not seen insect pressure requiring insecticide applications. Cotton fleahoppers have been difficult to find in most fields. Few fields have more… Read More →
Bean Thrips in Soybeans
We have not been finding many insect pests in Soybean fields so far this season but there are a few things to keep an eye on. Wednesday I found Bean Thrips (Caliothrips phaseoli) in low numbers of less than 1 per leaflet on the leaves of soybean plants. The top 2 pictures show minimal feeding injury along the leaf veins. Bean Thrips can be found on the lower half of the plant first, and will move up the plant as populations increase. They tend to be found on… Read More →
Cotton Near Cutout
Much of our cotton fields are at or near cutout. The fields we have been in this week range from 2-6 nodes above white flower (NAWF). Keep in mind the time for a white bloom to mature into an open boll is around 50 days. We are finding bollworms in non-Bt and 2-gene Bt cotton such as Bollgard 2 and Twin-Link cotton varieties. I have not found much damage or worms in the 3-gene cotton varieties containing the VIP gene. Treat cotton fields when square and boll damage… 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 →
