David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Alfalfa
Small larvae are still present in alfalfa from spring eggs. Alfalfa is growing well now, so check its height and compare your counts per 30 stems with the threshold table found in the UD Alfalfa Weevil fact sheet.
Small Grains
A report came in yesterday of a scout finding their first armyworm in a sweep net. True armyworm puts its first generation in grasses. It is normal to find a few, it would be unusual to find large numbers, but that only highlights the value of scouting for them. You can find good guidance on managing armyworm and sawfly in barley and wheat here: https://www.udel.edu/content/dam/udelImages/canr/pdfs/extension/sustainable-agriculture/pest-management/Insect_Control_in_Small_Grains_2020.pdf.
Slug Scouting Update
We continue to encounter very few slugs in the fields we are monitoring. We deployed shingles in an additional five fields this week hoping to find some. Ironically, I found my first gray garden slug and my first leopard slugs of the season hanging out by a greenhouse where I was plugging a blacklight trap in, nowhere near a soybean field.
Early Season Moth Activity
Many thanks to Haley Sater and Joanne Whalen for checking traps for us. Moth activity decreased this week on account of cold nighttime temperatures. Trap counts are down considerably this past week compared to last week’s report on account of cool and wet weather. Trap counts are as follows:
| Location | # nights | True Armyworm | Black Cutworm |
| Salisbury, MD | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Laurel, DE | 8 | 16 | 10 |
| Seaford, DE | 8 | 22 | 7 |
| Harrington, DE | 8 | — | 13 |
| Sudlersville, MD | 7 | 7 | 13 |
| Smyrna, DE | 8 | 111 | 14 |
| Middletown, DE | 8 | 4 | 0 |