Corn earworm infestations are scattered but more common

There are more reports this week of soybean fields nearing or reaching thresholds for corn earworm, but the situation is sill spotty. We have checked a lot of fields and are finding essentially none. Other areas seem be trending towards just below, at, or just above thresholds. And there seem to be a few fields with well above threshold numbers. This fits the pattern for a year that I would describe as—normal or average. Moth catches are fairly low in number, steady, or even dropping in some locations. Many are reporting that they are finding higher populations of worms in flowering fields, which would be the double crop, later planted fields. The full season fields or those planted to Group 4 varieties are having less pressure, as those fields are more mature and less attractive to the invading moths. I still maintain that control should be good with high pyrethroid rates, even given the vial test tolerance results. But those fields with high numbers should be treated with non-pyrethroids. Stink bugs are certainly out there, but no major problems have been reported.

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