Lack of rains and hot temperatures have two spotted spider mites (TSSM) exploding in some fields. Scouting soybeans and dry beans frequently for TSSM this time of year is important, as infestations tend to be noticed too late from the road when management was required much earlier. Mite infestations typically start on the fields edge, especially close to freshly cut ditch banks and road sides or next to recently harvested wheat fields. Look for plants that are yellowing or look drought stress...| Field Crop News
Soybean aphids (SBA) have been spotted in a few fields in southern Ontario that haven’t seen SBA in quite a few years. As soybeans begin to enter R1, weekly scouting is advised, focusing first on the earlier planted fields close to or in R1, as well as any that have not had much rain and may be moisture stressed. A reminder that SBA start as colonies in a few pockets in the field before becoming overcrowded and spreading themselves out more evenly across the fields. These highly infested pl...| Field Crop News
Have you been seeing increased corn rootworm pressure in your continuous corn fields over the last few years? Monitoring with sticky traps can help you determine if you have a Bt resistant corn rootworm problem and it helps us keep track of where these problem fields are. Thanks to GFO and ABSTC, we still have some free corn rootworm sticky traps to give away this year to any interested trap participants, new or experienced. Fields with a history of corn on corn and repeated CRW Bt hybrid use...| Field Crop News
This cooler, wet weather seems to have delayed plant growth but also has been ideal for pests to build in fields or do more feeding while the plant growth is slowed.| Field Crop News
Cereal leaf beetle (CLB) adults and eggs have been spotted at low levels in some of the YEN cereal sites being monitored this year. Best to scout fields with a known history of CLB activity soon and plan to check all cereal fields a few times over the next few weeks until the head is fully emerged to spot any infestations and injury.| Field Crop News
Black cutworm (BCW) and true armyworm (TAW) moths have been making their way into Ontario over the last few weeks. Black cutworm in particular have been arriving since mid April in southwestern Ontario, with trap counts increasing weekly. Shout out to our new northern Ontario trap participants at the New Liskeard, Thunder Bay and Emo Research Stations for monitoring BCW traps up there after last years significant cutworm infestations. It helps us keep an eye out for risk in that region. Thank...| Field Crop News