Insects

Statewide Corn and Soybean Survey Indicate Lower Insect Populations in 2019

  • November 21, 2019

  • Kelly Estes

The Illinois Statewide Corn and Soybean Insect Survey has been occurred in eight of the last nine years (2011, 2013–2019). These surveys have been conducted with the goal of estimating densities of common insect pests in corn and soybean cropping systems. In 2019, 40 counties representing all nine crop reporting districts were surveyed, with five corn and five soybean fields surveyed in each county.
 
Within the soybean fields surveyed, 100 sweeps were performed on both the exterior of the field (outer 2 rows) and interior (at least 12 rows beyond the field edge) using a 38-cm diameter sweep net.…

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Insect monitoring in soybean: what to look for during pod fill

  • September 6, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

At this point in the season, most of our insect monitoring efforts are focused on soybean. There are several pests that can damage soybean during pod fill, and proper scouting is necessary to identify and, occasionally, control these insects. While not an exhaustive list, these are some of the insects and insect relatives to be on the lookout for as the growing season winds down.
Stink bugs. Stink bug (Fig. 1) feeding during pod fill (particularly R5- R6) can reduce soybean yield and quality.…

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Japanese Beetle Management Guidelines

  • July 10, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

Japanese beetles (Fig. 1) have been arriving throughout Illinois over the last couple of weeks, and are becoming pretty conspicuous in some areas. Our crops are well behind their usual progress when Japanese beetle emergence occurs, which could impact scouting and management decision making. Several of my colleagues recently wrote an in-depth article on the history, distribution and management of this pest1; you can read the full open-access article here. Some notes on management follow by crop:
Corn: Silk clipping is the primary concern with Japanese beetle infestations in corn.…

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RSVP for the Champaign Pest and Pathogen Field Day!

  • July 5, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Come to Champaign, Illinois on July 22nd for the first annual field crop Pest and Pathogen Field Day from 9am-noon.  Registration, doughnuts, and coffee will start at 8:30 am. Parking for the event will be available at the Agricultural and Biological Engineering farm on the UIUC South Farm Facility, located at 3603 South Race Street, Urbana, IL, 61802.  Click HERE to register.
Join us to walk research plots and learn about insect and disease identification in field crops,…

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Scouting for Early Season Pests in Corn and Soybean After a Late Start

  • June 7, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

It goes without saying that this spring has been a challenge. With extreme planting delays throughout the state, crop development is well behind normal expectations, while insect pest populations have continued to progress. In addition, the tight schedule we have faced has forced planting into less than ideal conditions in terms of both soil moisture and weed control, which can have consequences for insect pest management. There are a few pests in particular to target during early season scouting this season:
 …

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Insect Trapping Update: May 15

  • May 15, 2019

  • Kelly Estes

Cooperators around the state are monitoring black cutworm and true armyworm traps this spring.
 
Black Cutworm
Continued flights have occurred this last week, but at low levels overall. Reports of corn emergence have been trickling in and along with those reports are also those of black cutworm feeding. As a reminder, some management suggestions from Nick Seiter’s 2018 article (http://bulletin.ipm.illinois.edu/?p=4151):

  • Infestations are more likely in later planted corn, as delayed planting means larger cutworm larvae are present at earlier stages of corn development.

…

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Wheat Insects – What to Watch for This Spring

  • April 19, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

Consider adding some insect scouting to your wheat management routine this spring if you are not doing so already. While damaging insect pest infestations are pretty sporadic in Illinois, missing one can be costly. The first step in managing these infestations is knowing what to look for.
 
Aphids
 
There are several species of aphids that infest wheat in Illinois, and they can be difficult to tell apart without careful examination (the figure captions below provide some tips on how to identify the different species;…

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Grape Colaspis in Corn and Soybean: a Pre-Season Primer

  • April 16, 2019

  • Nick Seiter

Grape colaspis is a common insect, but it only occasionally affects corn and soybean production in Illinois. However, 2018 was that rare year where “outbreak” levels of infestation occurred in parts of the state, resulting in stand reductions and, in some cases, replanting of damaged areas. Information can be tough to come by for an occasional pest like this one, but I will summarize what we know and what we should expect going forward.
 
Biology.…

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Feedback sought on Pest Degree Day Calculator Upgrade

  • February 20, 2019

  • Kelly Estes


The Illinois Degree Day calculator has been available to Illinois producers since 2004. Hosted by the Illinois Climate Network (ICN), this pest management tool was developed to help aid producers in monitoring insect development throughout the growing season and aid in pest management decisions.
The calculator uses weather data from 19 network stations across Illinois to provide degree day accumulations and forecasts for 30 agricultural and invasive pests based on long-term averages. While this has been a great resource for many years,…

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What effect will cold temperatures have on pests and pathogens?

  • February 10, 2019

  • Nathan Kleczewski

Nathan Kleczewski Research assistant Professor and Extension Field Crop Pathologist
Nick Seiter- Research Assistant Professor and Extension Field Crop Entomologist
 
Many in the Illinois agricultural community are wondering what effects the recent extreme cold might have on pests and pathogens. While it would be nice if the cold temperatures we are experiencing could help to reduce our potential for pest damage, past experience tells us that the most serious pests we deal with are unlikely to be impacted much by these conditions.…

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