Crop Insects to Look for in June

Crops are in the ground, which means, now is the time for farmers to pay close attention to some of the insects that might be infesting fields.

University of Illinois Field Crops Entomologist Nick Seiter says… the insects that farmers should watch out for will vary per crop.

“For instance, if you have a field with a lot of residue and you've had a lot of moisture in that area, you might be looking for slug damage. That would be, in particular, in the southern part of the state where there is a lot of no-till production. If you are in a situation where the burn-down herbicide wasn't very effective, where you are in a hairy situation planting into a lot of broadleaf weeds then black cutworm damage would be something to watch. If you are following a grass cover crop or grassy weeds, then maybe fall armyworm.”

Seiter explains when to do something about infestation.

“You really won't be able to learn when to distinguish yield-limiting damage from actual cosmetic chewing, feeding, which we see a lot of this time of year. Really in soybean and especially in corn, the general rule is that if the stand is threatened then there is a chance you have a yield-limiting pest. But if you are not losing stand, but just seeing a little chewing - something we see almost every year - that's a situation where you are going to outgrow that damage. Your crop probably will not suffer any lasting effects from a little bit of cosmetic chewing.”

Seiter says its best to focus on insects that can reduce stand. These include the black cutworm, armyworm, and slugs.