Insect Update

Early-mid season crop pests we’ve been seeing

We are definitely seeing effects of losing neonic seed treatments. I have been finding wireworm in corn, soys and there has been 10-15% stand reduction in some cases, preventing plants from emerging. They are also taking down plants that have already come up. When seeing gaps in rows or sick looking plants, the roots and root zone need to be inspected to find the cause. This year, other than some corkscrewing, I’m finding wireworm has been the cause a fair amount of the time. Unfortunately, at this point, nothing can be done about the wireworm but it will affect management decisions made for next season. We rely on seed treatments because crop rotation is not effective, but hopefully more solutions will be coming down the line soon. On another note, cereal leaf beetle has been actively laying eggs in our small grain crops. There is a slight amount of older feeding done by adults before they mated and are now laying eggs. We will be on the lookout for larval feeding soon, which causes the most injury. Feeding on the flag leaf is of most concern because this is where the majority of yield comes from. There will likely be some insecticide applications made to control this pest combined with heading fungicides. For now, let’s just wait for the warmer weather, because it’s the end of May and it’s snowing where I am now! Have a good weekend everyone,

- Alyssa Gingras