It is the first of July, and the Georgia peanut crop is looking very good as a whole. Insect pressure has been pretty average to this point in the season. Lesser cornstalk borer (LCB) has been the most serious and widespread insect issue of 2025 so far. Growers need to continue scouting fields for LCB even in areas that have received ample rain. As irrigated fields (and non-irrigated fields where it is raining consistently) begin to lap the row middles, the risk for LCB reaching threshold levels is diminished. Later planting, skippy stands, sandy soil, and dry conditions are favorable for lesser cornstalk borer development; fields with these characteristics should be the focus of scouting efforts.
July is usually when we begin to see foliage feeding caterpillars in peanut in Georgia. 2025 is not the year for recreational caterpillar sprays. If a field is at threshold it should be treated, but spraying sub-threshold caterpillar populations just costs us money. Using a drop-cloth, check three feet of row at 10 random locations in each field. The threshold for foliage feeding caterpillars ranges from 4 per foot if the peanuts are small or stressed up to 8 caterpillars per foot when vines are healthy, rank, and actively growing. The threshold is “caterpillars per foot”…not per 3 feet, and it is an average of all 10 locations. All available data indicates that peanut can tolerate a lot of defoliation with no loss in yield. We have not seen the large numbers of beet armyworms in peanut this year that we saw in 2024. Nevertheless, we need to be vigilant in our scouting and make sure we properly identify any caterpillars we see. Choosing the wrong insecticide when caterpillars reach threshold can be a costly mistake.
Other insects that we will likely begin to see more of this month include three cornered alfalfa hopper, potato leaf hopper, and red-necked peanut worm. These insects do not generally warrant an insecticide application, but if you see lots of them in a field it is a good idea to talk with your local UGA county Extension agent.
