Recent Posts
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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 foot on Monday afternoon (31…
Posted in: Velvetbean caterpillar -
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 manage this pest. Correct application…
Posted in: spider mite -
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 about burrower bugs still have…
Posted in: Burrower bug -
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 been in peanut fields for…
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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, silk tubes, and caterpillars as…
Posted in: LCB -
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.
Posted in: Uncategorized -
June will bring a shift in insect concerns in peanut, and as usual, the weather will play a large role in determining what happens next. April and May insect questions were primarily about thrips, so I will give a short summary of the 2020 thrips situation. Thrips pressure in my trials was variable with some…
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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 kill with insecticides, but left…
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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. VBCs have voracious appetites and…
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As I drive across the state I see areas that have obviously received decent rainfall over the past month. On the other hand, there has been no measurable rain at my house in four weeks, and I am not the only one. It is DRY, and it is no secret that lesser cornstalk borers (LCB)…
Posted in: Uncategorized