General pest update
-
The first call I received about corn rootworm in peanut a couple weeks ago seemed like one of those interesting oddities that show up in a field or two every year but do not amount to much more than that. Since then I have gotten a couple more calls, and it seems infestations are more…
-
There continue to be lesser cornstalk borers (LCB) in Georgia peanut fields, and I do not see any reason that should change over the next few weeks. Interestingly, most of the heavy pressure has not been in the Southwest but in the middle and eastern portions of South GA. I expect that some of the…
-
I mentioned last week that we were getting some reports of lesser cornstalk borer (LCB) in peanut, and that hot, dry conditions could result in more pressure. Over the last three days I have received a number of calls and emails from agents, growers, and consultants indicating that LCB is becoming more prevalent in peanut…
-
There has been no rain in Tift County this week, and as I walked my plots and a commercial field this morning I saw a few lesser cornstalk borer larvae in the sandy parts of non-irrigated fields. High temperatures combined with dry conditions favor three of the most troublesome arthropod pests of peanut: lesser cornstalk…
-
Thrips numbers on our traps have mostly been trending downward since 18 May. This pattern is typical of what we have seen in Georgia over the last few years. Many if not most of our peanut acres are getting to the point at which thrips injury is no longer a concern. Though the larger “thrips…
-
The last ten days have brought several calls from agents and consultants about spider mites showing up in peanut. It is not uncommon to see mites in peanut fields this time of year, and it would not be uncommon for low level mite infestations to fizzle out on their own. My advice last week was…
-
There are plenty of insects in Georgia peanut fields this week, but infestation levels vary significantly from field to field. The most common worm pests I am seeing continue to be soybean loopers (SBL) and velvet bean caterpillars (VBC). The VBCs have been very easy to kill in our UGA trials, and I have heard…
-
“What are you seeing?” is a question I have been getting and giving quite a bit the last couple weeks. The answer is a mixed bag of insects and a lot of variation in the level of pressure from field to field. We have seen three cornered alfalfa hopper (TCAH) numbers increase over the last…
-
As I walked through my test plots and a few commercial peanut fields this week I noticed that we are starting to see some potato leafhoppers and very early hopper burn. UGA Extension agent Rome Ethredge in Decatur County also mentioned that there was some heavy leafhopper pressure in at least one field in southwest…
-
We are still seeing plenty of thrips in our test plots on the UGA Tifton Campus. The progression of the infestation and feeding damage at the Bowen farm is following a predictable pattern. Damage ratings a week ago ranged from 2 to 4.8, and this week ratings ranged from 2.3 to 9 on a 0…