Soybean Insect Scouting Update

David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu and Bill Cissel, Extension Agent – Integrated Pest Management; bcissel@udel.edu

Insect populations are generally lower this week. Loopers can still be found in some fields, as can stink bugs and bean leaf beetle. Defoliation thresholds for R6 beans are considerably higher than earlier R-stage beans. Now that our earlier planted fields are starting to senesce or have dropped leaves completely, this is a good time to take stem samples for Dectes stem borer, especially in fields that had large numbers earlier or have a history of Dectes problems. If your field has a large stem infestation, prioritize that field for as timely a harvest as possible. Lodging loss potential increases with the percent of infested stems and late harvest.