Weather extremes are influencing pest pressure across the Midwest.
Iowa State University Extension entomologist Erin Hodgson calls growing conditions “erratic.”
“We’ve had really wet, really dry. We’ve had hail and tornadoes, so some of that has been impacting not only the pest community, but also crop quality.”
She tells Brownfield spider mites are a problem in hot, dry areas.
“Sort of exploding in corn and soybean and a number of other crops. And they are a particularly difficult pest to deal with because most of the products that are labeled in these crops are insecticides and don’t do a great job on mites.”
Hodson says the concerns are different in wetter parts of the Corn Belt.
“And so sometimes high humidity, high temperatures can effect like the kernel quality. Especially when you have caterpillars, you have insects that are trying to get inside of the husks and feed on the kernels or even the shanks.”
She encourages farmers to scout fields for insects throughout August.
