Our soybean scouts detected brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) in three new Virginia counties this week (Halifax, Greensville, and Brunswick). They found soybean fields in the following counties at BMSB threshold (3-5 adults + medium to large nymphs per 2-minute visual count or per 15 sweeps): Albemarle, Bedford, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Orange, Rappahannock, and Shenandoah. Please see the map for more details.
When monitoring, don’t forget about our native stink bug species–we have been seeing moderate to high numbers of green stink bugs in some fields. The threshold for a normal mix of stink bug species (green, brown, and BMSB) is 5 in 15 sweeps.
Kudzu bug numbers in soybean remain below threshold.
Soybean–brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB): Our scouts detected BMSB in two new counties this week–Charles City and Stafford. Eight counties were at threshold (3-5 per 2-minute visual count along the field edge)–these are listed at the bottom of the map.
Soybean–kudzu bug: A range of zero to 5 kudzu bugs per 15 sweeps was reported this week. While no counties were at threshold levels (15 kudzu bugs per 15 sweeps), the highest numbers were reported in Campbell (5), Appomattox (4), and Amelia (3 per 15 sweeps).
Sorghum–white sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari: No new counties reported for this pest this week. So far this season, it has been confirmed in the following Virginia counties: Amelia, Bedford, Charles City, Dinwiddie, Franklin, Greensville, Hanover, Isle of Wight, New Kent, Nottoway, Prince George, Southampton, Suffolk, Surry, and Sussex.
Corn earworm/bollworm resistance monitoring: Survival of moths in the vial tests remains high. We evaluated 297 moths this week, with 40.5% survival to the 5 microgram/vial rate of cypermethrin. Our seasonal average stands at 42.8% survival (n = 1,552 moths evaluated).
Black light trap report: Some reporting stations had a small bump upwards in the number of corn earworm moths captured (Warsaw, Prince George, Essex); declines occurred in Suffolk and Southampton. Very few BMSB were caught. Please refer to the tables for more information. BLT_15_Sep_2016
White sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, in sorghum: I did not receive any reports of this aphid being found in any new Virginia counties this week.
Brown marmorated stink bug in soybean: Our scouts reported 11 Virginia counties having threshold levels of BMSB, with highest numbers from Bedford and Orange (9 and 6 BMSB per 2-minute visual inspection, respectively). First reports for the season came from James City, King George, Culpeper, and Frederick. Please see the following map:
Kudzu bug in soybean: Our scouts have not found any Virginia counties with threshold levels of this pest in 2016. The current map:
Corn earworm/bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) resistance monitoring: The number of moths surviving the 24-hour exposure to 5 micrograms of cypermethrin in this week’s vial tests was 45.8% (n = 180 moths evaluated). The seasonal average is 43.4% survival, based on 1,255 moths tested. 
Black light trap counts: Corn earworm moth captures dropped slightly from the previous weeks’ counts; brown marmorated stink bug counts were zero across all reporting stations. Please see the attached tables (pdf document) for more details: BLT_8_Sep_2016
There was an uptick in the number of corn earworm moths captured in most black light traps this week. Suffolk was especially high with approximately 38 moths per night. Brown marmorated stink bug counts were low, ranging from none to 1.1 per night. Please see the attached pdf file for the data tables: BLT_1_Sep_2016
This week the Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC entomology program evaluated 298 Helicoverpa zea (=corn earworm/bollworm) moths in the cypermethrin vial tests, with 53.1% surviving the 24-hour exposure to the 5 microgram/vial rate. This brings the seasonal average to 42.9% (based on 1,075 Suffolk-collected moths).
White sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, was found infesting sorghum in New Kent county this week. Thanks to ANR Agent John Allison for submitting the sample. Edit to original post: MIke Arrington and Kayla Babb (Tidewater AREC Entomology) reported finding infestations of M. sacchari in Surry County sorghum, near Bacon’s Castle (this is not on the state map).
This week, our soybean scouts Ed and Jamie reported two new counties with BMSB this season (Rockingham and Rapphannock). Eight counties had threshold levels of BMSB (3-5 adults+medium & large nymphs per 15 sweeps or 2-minute visual inspection)–see the BMSB map for details. Kudzu bugs were found in one new county–Chesterfield. Over all counties sampled, kudzu bug numbers ranged from zero to 3 per 15 sweeps–still below threshold.
Corn earworm/bollworm moth captures in Suffolk averaged 23 per night, but only ranged from < 1 to 4 at other reporting locations this week. Brown marmorated stink bug was only captured at Warsaw (averaging 1.4 per night). Please see the attached data tables for more information. BLT_25_Aug_2016
