Insects

Black Cutworm: Management Considerations in Corn

  • May 18, 2018

  • Nick Seiter

With corn planting wrapping up throughout most of Illinois, the time has come to scout for cutworms. While several species of cutworms infest early season corn, black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) is the most likely to cause economic damage. We have received a handful of reports of cutting in southern Illinois, with more expected in the coming weeks as heat units begin to accumulate. If you are not doing so already, follow Kelly Estes’s reports on the Bulletin and through Twitter (@ILPestSurvey) for up to date information on black cutworm moth flights and degree-day accumulations.…

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Black Cutworm Moth Flight Beginning

  • April 23, 2018

  • Kelly Estes

Soil temperatures and field activity are increasing along with moth migration from the south. Insect traps (figure 1) are out around the state and we’ve been capturing both true armyworm and black cutworm moths for over a week. In fact, we recently had our first significant black cutworm moth flights recorded in Montgomery and Champaign counties (figure 2).  We expect activity to increase with both of these insects over the coming weeks. As both corn and soybean planting progress,…

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Managing Corn Rootworm Populations in Illinois: Considerations for 2018

  • March 8, 2018

  • Nick Seiter

 
Authors: Nick Seiter, Joe Spencer, and Kelly Estes
Rootworm management is a yearly consideration for most corn producers in central and northern Illinois. Western corn rootworm (Fig. 1) is the primary pest species throughout most of the state, but areas in northern IL can experience pest pressure from the northern corn rootworm (Fig. 2) as well. Adult population densities have been low in recent years compared with historical averages, although they did creep up a bit in 2017.…

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EPA Public Comment Period Open on Neonicotinoid Insecticide Ecological Risk Assessments, Closes February 20

  • January 26, 2018

  • Nick Seiter

The EPA recently opened a public comment period on ecological risk assessments of four neonicotinoid insecticides as part of the ongoing registration review for these materials. The purpose of this comment period is to allow stakeholders and the general public to provide input on the risks and benefits of these materials related to their use in agricultural production. A press release detailing this announcement can be found at the following link: https://www.epa.gov/pesticides/epa-releases-neonicotinoid-assessments-public-comment. At the bottom of the page,…

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Calling Central Illinois Landowners with CP42

  • January 16, 2018

  • Maddy Kangas

 
Agriculture comprises nearly half of terrestrial global landscapes posing a number of challenges to native pollinators. However, the Conservation Reserve Program’s CP42 Pollinator Habitat program aims to mitigate these challenges by providing pollen and nectar resources for pollinators where they may be lacking.
With funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the North Central IPM Center, Madeline Kangas, a University of Illinois graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences,…

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Increased Insect Densities Reflected in Annual Corn and Soybean Survey

  • August 28, 2017

  • Kelly Estes

 
Thirty-six counties representing the nine crop reporting districts were surveyed at the end of July/beginning of August as part of our annual statewide corn and soybean survey. The surveys were performed by sampling five corn and five soybean fields per county. For the past several years (2011, 2013–2017), surveys in corn and soybean fields have been conducted with the goal of estimating densities of common insect pests. The estimates provided in this article should not be considered a substitute for scouting individual fields and making informed pest management decisions—even areas of the state that appear to be at low risk could have contained fields with high densities of a given insect pest.…

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Join us for the Ewing Agronomy Field Day on Thursday, July 27, 2017

  • July 10, 2017

  • Nathan Johanning

The University of Illinois Extension will host the Ewing Demonstration Center Agronomy Field Day on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 9 a.m.  Every growing season presents challenges to production, and this year is no exception!  We are happy to host this summer field day to share with local growers current, ongoing agronomy research in southern Illinois, including cover crop trials on corn and soybeans, nitrogen management in corn, weed management in soybean, and our continuous no-till field,…

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Insect Briefs – June 30

  • June 30, 2017

  • Kelly Estes

Japanese Beetles
Japanese beetles are back. Reports statewide indicate Japanese beetles are here (and in some locations, in very high numbers.) With corn starting to tassel and getting close to tassel, it’s important to remember, even though densities may appear to be extremely high, the average density of beetles across the field may be below levels of economic concern. An insecticidal treatment should be considered during silking if:

  • There are 3 or more beetles per ear,

…

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Impressive Moth Flights across Midwest

  • April 28, 2017

  • Kelly Estes

Impressive moth flights have not only kept the Illinois insect monitoring network cooperators busy, but neighboring states are reporting lots of black cutworm and true armyworm moth activity as well. The current forecast and planting progress has raised questions about the potential for these pests in the coming weeks.
With the assistance of University of Illinois Extension educators, producers and industry volunteers, nearly 60 trap sites have been established across Illinois. Captures of both black cutworm and true armyworm have been common across the state.…

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Cooperators Sought for Insect Trapping Network

  • March 13, 2017

  • Kelly Estes

Despite the snow falling outside of my window this morning, plans continue for the upcoming survey season. Mother Nature has hinted at spring with temperatures in the 70’s just last week and its time to start thinking about spring insect trapping.
We are starting to look for cooperators that are willing to place and monitor traps for black cutworm and true armyworm this spring and European corn borer, corn earworm, fall armyworm, and western bean cutworm this summer.…

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