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On the morning of August 12, Russ Higgins, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator, Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center, sampled soybean fields in DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, and LaSalle counties. In four of seven commercial soybean fields, he detected soybean aphids in low numbers. Typically, Russ found one to two aphids per leaf. He also noted that beneficial insects were abundant within the soybean fields.
The economic threshold for soybean aphids remains at 250 aphids per plant with 80% of plants infested. …

Although western corn rootworm adult emergence is underway across many central Illinois counties, a quick poll of participants at the DeKalb Research and Education Center field day near Shabbona, Illinois on July 10 revealed that participants have not observed any beetles moving about their cornfields. Joe Spencer, an entomologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey, observed larvae continuing their root feeding activity in his research plots north of Urbana on July 9. Based upon these observations,…

Western corn rootworm adult emergence is underway across east central Illinois. On July 1, Nick Tinsley, Research Specialist in the Department of Crop Sciences, observed his first adult male western corn rootworm of the growing season just south of Urbana within a University of Illinois research plot. Later that day, Joe Spencer, Associate Research Professor, Illinois Natural History Survey, observed five western corn rootworm adults after about 20 minutes of searching in his research plots north of Urbana.…

Preparations are underway for the 32nd Annual University of Illinois’ Northwestern Agricultural Research Center Field Day. The program will begin at 8 am on Wednesday, July 17th.
Buses will carry members of the public to different stops in the research center where specialists from the University of Illinois’ Department of Crop Sciences or Extension personnel will present their most current crop and pest management research and recommendations.
 
Topics and speakers include:
Identification and management of Goss’s wilt of corn –…

The University of Illinois’s Northern Illinois Agronomy Research Center will host a summer Agronomy Day Wednesday, July 10. U of I Extension specialists and researchers will address issues that are pertinent to the 2013 growing season. The program will begin at 9 a.m. and finish with a meal provided at noon. Anyone can attend, and there is no registration or fee required. CEUs will be available for certified crop advisers.

A Corn Rootworm Root Rating Field Day will be held in conjunction with Agronomy Day.…

Reports of Japanese beetles are becoming more common across the state of Illinois. On June 19, Ron Hines observed his first Japanese beetles of the season in Massac County. Much further to the north, Angie Peltier, University of Illinois Extension Commercial Agriculture Educator located at the Research and Demonstration Center, Monmouth, Illinois, collected about 1 inch of beetles in a trap from June 20 to 24. These observations confirm that this perennial insect pest of corn and soybeans is present throughout much of  the state.…

In mid-June, Chris DiFonzo, Extension Entomologist at Michigan State University, reported that a soybean field (Saginaw Farm) was infested with soybean aphids (~44% of plants infested).  Chris indicated that none of the plants had received an insecticidal seed treatment. Reports from other entomologists (Iowa and Minnesota) indicate that soybean aphids are being found at more modest levels. At this point, it remains unclear what soybean aphid infestations will look like for much of the Corn Belt.…

Kevin Black, Insect and Plant Disease Technical Manager, Growmark, Inc., recently reported that cereal leaf beetles can be found in low numbers in some wheat fields across southern Illinois. In addition, densities of aphids in these fields were low according to Kevin. He attributed these low pest numbers to the presence of natural enemies hard at work (Figures 1 and 2). Cereal leaf beetles complete one generation per year. The adult is a colorful beetle (3/16 inch long) and has metallic bluish-black wings (elytra) and reddish-orange legs and thorax (Figure 3).…