Agronomic Crop Insects

Joanne Whalen, Extension IPM Specialist; jwhalen@udel.edu

Alfalfa
If you have not started to sample for alfalfa weevil, be sure to begin sampling fields on a weekly basis. Larvae are present in fields in Kent and Sussex counties. Look for small larvae feeding in the tips of plants producing a round, pinhole type of feeding. Once you detect tip feeding, a full field sample should be taken. In general, no treatment should be needed before you observe 50 percent of the tips with feeding damage. The most accurate way to time an application and try to avoid multiple insecticide applications is to sample stems and determine the number of weevils per stem. A minimum of 30 stems should be collected per field and placed top first in a bucket to dislodge larvae from the tips. Then count the number of weevils per stem. The following thresholds, based on the height of the alfalfa, should be used as a guideline when making a treatment decision: up to 11 inches tall – 0.7 per stem; 12 inches tall – 1.0 per stem; 13 – 15 inches tall – 1.5 per stem; 16 inches tall – 2.0 per stem and 17 – 18 inches tall – 2.5 per stem. Numerous pyrethroids are now labeled for alfalfa weevil including Baythroid XL, Mustang MAX, Proaxis, Warrior II and numerous generic pyrethroids. Imidan, Lorsban, Lannate and Steward are also labeled for alfalfa weevil control. Be sure to check all labels for rates, restrictions and days to harvest before application. NOTE: The use of Furadan on alfalfa has been cancelled (as well as 21 other crop uses). According to EPA, “existing stocks of the canceled products may be used until they are depleted, or until the effective date for revocation of the associated tolerances.”

Field Corn
In addition to black cutworm (which is generally a pest of later planted corn), we can also have a number of other cutworm species present in corn fields at planting time, including the dingy cutworm, claybacked cutworm and variegated cutworm. Information from the Midwest indicates that the claybacked cutworms can cause economic loss in corn. They overwinter as half-grown larvae in the soil so they can get a “jump” on black cutworms when it comes to cutting each spring. Since they are larger in size earlier in the spring, this species can damage very young corn plants. So, scouting fields at plant emergence is important, even if at-planting materials were used, to catch any potential problems. Just a reminder, if you plan to tank-mix an insecticide with an herbicide for black cutworm control, it should be done at, or immediately following planting. Insecticides combined with early burn-down applications, 2-3 weeks before planting, have not provided effective control.

Timothy
Be sure to sample fields for cereal rust mite activity. Mites are active in fields at this time. As soon as fields green up, you should begin checking for cereal rust mites and the early signs of infested leaves, especially in fields with problems in past years. These mites are microscopic, so the use of a 20x-magnifying lens is necessary. If rust mites become a problem, Sevin XLR Plus still has a 24(c) label on timothy for rust mite management in DE. The following is a link to the 24(c) label for Delaware: http://www.cdms.net/ldat/ld332028.pdf. You must have this label in your possession at the time of application.

Wheat
Be sure to begin sampling fields for cereal leaf beetle activity. We are starting to find evidence of adult feeding, so fields should be scouted early for the presence of egg masses. The threshold for cereal leaf beetle has been adjusted to include sampling for eggs, especially in high management wheat fields or areas where problems were experienced the previous year. The eggs are elliptical, about 1/32 inch long, orange to yellow in color when first laid, changing to a burnt orange prior to hatching. Check our website for pictures of cereal leaf beetle adults, larvae and eggs: http://www.udel.edu/IPM/facts/clbpictures.htm.

Generally, eggs are laid singly or in small scattered groups (end-to-end) on the upper leaf surface and parallel to the leaf veins. Cereal leaf beetle larvae are brown to black, range in size from 1/32 to 1/4 inch long, and eat streaks of tissue from the upper leaf surface. Since cereal leaf beetle populations are often unevenly distributed within the field, it is important to carefully sample fields so that you do not over or under estimate a potential problem. Eggs and small larvae should be sampled by examining 10 tillers from 10 evenly spaced locations in the field while avoiding field edges. This will result in 100 tillers (stems) per field being examined. Eggs and larvae may be found on leaves near the ground so careful examination is critical. You should also check stems at random while walking through a major portion of the field and sampling 100 stems. The treatment threshold is 25 or more eggs and/or small larvae per 100 tillers. If you are using this threshold, it is important that you wait until at least 50% are in the larval stage (i.e. after 50% egg hatch).