Entolomogy

  • Insect scouting schools will be conducted on June 1, 2026 at the UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center in Tifton and June 9, 2026 at the Southeast Research and Education Center in Midville. Crops covered include cotton, peanuts, and soybean. These programs offer basic information on insect pest identification and damage, natural enemies, and scouting procedures.…

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  • I have received numerous questions about grasshoppers in strip till cotton this past week. Dr. Roberts passed on a great article about grasshoppers in the May edition of the UGA Cotton Newsletter. Grasshopper problems are sporadic, isolated, and almost always associated with reduced tillage fields. We have received multiple calls in the last week regarding…

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  • Insect scouting schools will be conducted on June 1, 2026 in Tifton and June 9, 2026 in Midville. Crops covered include cotton, peanuts, and soybean. These programs offer basic information on insect pest identification and damage, natural enemies, and scouting procedures. The training will serve as an introduction to insect monitoring for new scouts and…

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  • This past week (April 21, 2026), Tanner placed a CropVue smart-trap in a local pecan orchard to monitor pecan casebearer. Dr. Chad Abbott with FMC has been helping us on this project. Last year, Dr. Barma provided information on the biology of the insect and how to use the PNC model for insecticide application timing.…

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  • Thrips infest seedlings the day of emergence and remain a threat to yield until cotton reaches the 4-leaf stage and is growing rapidly. Thrips infest all cotton planted in Georgia every year. On cotyledon cotton, thrips feed on the underside of leaves which will cause a “silvery” sheen on the underside of the cotyledon. More…

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  • It does not take long before it gets dry! The last measurable rainfall from the UGA Weather Station at the Sunbelt Ag Expo was 0.36 which occurred on August 23, 2025.  Since August 23rd, 0.12 inches of rain have occurred at this site.  The graph below shows the 15-day percent of normal precipitation for the…

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  • Labor Day Jassid Update

    Dr. Phillip Roberts, UGA Cotton Entomologist, just sent out the newest information about the cotton jassid to county Extension agents. The bottom line is to please do not underestimate this pest. Below are a few highlights on thresholds, insecticide observations and a few common questions. The whole cotton jassid agent update is available below. It…

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  • By Dr. Lisa Baxter, UGA Forage Agronomist Bermudagrass hay producers throughout the region are currently battling the bermudagrass stem maggot, or BSM. This pest has damaged bermudagrass forage each summer since it was first discovered back in 2010.  The adult flies are most easily found with an insect sweep net. Your local Extension agent should…

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  • Dr. Roberts provided agents with new information on the cotton jassid. The slide below shows where this pest has been found as of August 18th. Dr. Roberts has updated the threshold based on field observations. What do I spray? The following 3 slides are initial counts (3-4 DAT) of three small plot on-farm trials from…

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  • Corn harvest is gearing up. I have been hearing good yields so far from corn growers. The weather this week should be good for harvest. The cotton crop has challenges such as boll rot, cotton jassid and mildew. Questions about leaf spot and white mold have been coming in from peanut growers. Rainfall last week…

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