It came as no surprise on Monday morning when the phone starting ringing with questions about foliage feeding caterpillars, lesser cornstalk borers and two spotted spider mites in peanut fields. Most of the foliage feeding caterpillars we are seeing now are velvetbean caterpillars (VBC). This species is generally easy to…
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Velvetbean caterpillars (VBC) have arrived in large numbers in some Georgia peanut fields over the past couple weeks. Peanuts that are 70 to 90 days after planting are likely to be at greatest risk for yield loss from defoliation; the risk is even greater in fields that are drought stressed….
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Here is an entry I wrote last week and realized today that I never published it… Things have been relatively quiet in terms of insect pressure in most peanut fields so far in 2017, but that could change quickly. I have been getting reports of heavy caterpillar pressure in some…
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Few pests of peanut are as dreaded or as difficult to control as the two spotted spider mite. Spider mites generally start to show up in peanut fields in late July, and if conditions are favorable they can severely injure or even kill plants. Hot and dry are the main…
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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…
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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…
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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….
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“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)…
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As we approach harvest time of the 2014 Georgia peanut crop, we still need to be mindful of two spotted spider mites. This pest is present in many areas around the state and under hot, dry conditions populations can explode quickly. Peanuts with two or more weeks to go before…
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Several folks have recently asked me about the compatibility of Comite II miticide and commonly used fungicides in peanut. I sprayed Comite II alone and in combination with several fungicides last Friday afternoon. The products were sprayed at a higher than labeled rate and in the hottest part of a…
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