Several folks have contacted me this week about large numbers of white-lined (aka white-margined) burrower bugs. Most of the bugs have been on volunteer peanuts, but some were on cotton seedlings. This insect is not the “peanut burrower bug” and is not considered a pest of peanut. While it can…
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Peanut planting season is also thrips season in Georgia, and growers need to be prepared to manage this tiny but damaging insect pest. I checked some volunteer peanuts in a Tift county field today, and they were LOADED with adult tobacco thrips. Recent research at UGA confirmed that thrips feeding…
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It rained today, and the next couple days will be a great time to catch up on some UGA Peanut Team information as you get ready for the 2021 peanut season. This in-field interview with Mark Abney was produced by our friends at Florida for their winter grower meeting. If…
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This short video demonstrates how to sample peanuts for foliage feeding caterpillars. Since velvetbean caterpillars and soybean loopers are currently present in Georgia, there is still time to use this information to help make management decisions. If you have any questions about insect management in peanut, contact your local University…
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Georgia peanut growers need to check their fields this week for velvetbean caterpillar (VBC) infestations. Moths have been present for several weeks, and populations of caterpillars are now at threshold in many fields. A field of mine that has not been treated with insecticide was averaging 20 caterpillars per row…
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We knew they were coming, and now they are here. The calls, emails, and texts have started to roll in reporting peanut fields in Georgia infested with twospotted spider mite. Finding mite infestations early, choosing an effective miticide, and applying the miticide correctly are critically important if we hope to…
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We routinely get questions in mid summer about how to manage peanut burrower bug. The things that have been proven to reduce burrower bug injury are deep tillage and the use of granular chlorpyrifos. It is obviously too late to do anything about tillage choices, but growers who are concerned…
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Now is a critical time for insect management in Georgia peanuts. Hot, dry weather is here, and the decisions we make over the next few weeks are going to be very important in determining how much impact insect pests will have on this year’s crop. Lesser cornstalk borers (LCB) have…
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The last two days have brought calls and texts from consultants and county agents finding lesser cornstalk borer (LCB) in Georgia peanut fields. The infestations are not limited to one area of the state, and populations have reached treatable levels in many locations. Scouts should be looking closely for moths,…
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Lesser cornstalk borer is the most economically important insect pest of peanut in Georgia. In this short video, UGA Peanut Entomologist Mark Abney provides some scouting tips that can help you as you monitor fields for insect activity.
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