Insect & Pests

Gall Midge Larvae in Soybean Stems

Gall midge larvae were observed recently in soybean stems from a field in South Dakota. These insects were found under the epidermis of the stem that was slightly above the soil line.

Small red maggots under your soybean plants’ epidermis? We have answers.

In 2015, we received plant samples of soybean that had small red maggots under the epidermis. Now, in 2017, we are starting to receive reports of these same insects being found under the epidermis of soybean in different parts of South Dakota.

First Soybean Aphid Populations Detected in South Dakota

While scouting fields this week, we observed winged (alate) soybean aphids in Southeast South Dakota.

Overwintering S.D. Bean Leaf Beetles: 2017 predicted mortality

The overwintering generation of bean leaf beetle adults emerge in the spring and can cause serious defoliation injury to seedling soybean plants. However, the abundance of overwintering bean leaf beetles is negatively affected when the air temperatures get too cold. Therefore, an estimate of the emerging populations can be made based on how cold the winter was.

Soybean Production: Cost-effective pest management practices

Chemicals were one of the most expensive individual costs in soybean production, behind only to seed in the non-land cost category. The average cash-rent soybean production farms incurred a crop chemical cost of $39/ac in 2015, an 88% increase from 2010.

New Multi-State Extension Publication: Managing Insecticide-Resistant Soybean Aphids

The first pyrethroid resistant soybean aphids were reported in Minnesota in 2015. Since then, pyrethroid resistant soybean aphids have been reported in Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota. In an effort to address resistance, researchers from those states have put together a new extension publication.

Test Your Soil for the Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) This Spring

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a major soybean pathogen that causes significant yield loss. Fields that were not tested for SCN last year can still be sampled this spring to determine the presence of SCN or SCN population changes if testing was done in the past.

Soybean Gall Midge: What We Know So Far

In 2018, South Dakota soybean farmers were faced with a new soybean insect pest. What started with dying field borders ultimately ended with yield losses throughout many fields on the Eastern side of the state. We determined that the pest in question was the soybean gall midge.

Scout Soybeans for Bean Leaf Beetle Feeding

We are receiving numerous reports and also observing very large bean leaf beetle populations this year. As a result, there is also a lot of concern about soybean defoliation due to the emergence and subsequent feeding by the overwintering adult population.

Watch for Bean Leaf Beetles

Some soybean in South Dakota has emerged and it is already being attacked by early-season bean leaf beetles. So far, observations of adult bean leaf beetles emerging from fields and defoliation of soybean have been in Southeastern South Dakota.