Insect & Pests
All Insect & Pests Content
Summer Fly Control in Feedlots
Just as longer days mark the beginning of summer, so does the arrival of increased number of flies in feedlots. Flies are not only are an annoyance, they can reduce performance and worsen heat stress. Successful control strategies start with sanitation.
Monitor Lawns and Gardens for Bronzed Cutworm Activity
Bronzed cutworms can be an issue for lawns and gardens in South Dakota. In grass, bronzed cutworms will feed and leave small brown circular patches. Large populations of bronzed cutworm can result in severe lawn injury.
Flea Beetles in the Garden
Flea beetles have been out in full force so far this year. This group of herbivorous beetles can be a pest of many different garden plants, including tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, lettuce and others.
Barley Yellow Dwarf Developing in Oats
A few oat fields that were recently scouted were found to have barley yellow dwarf virus infected plants. The infected plants were few and scattered throughout the oat fields.
A fly? A hornet? Nope, it’s a sawfly!
This spring, there have been multiple reports of people seeing large fly-like insects in their yards. These insects are sawflies, and all reports thus far have been the elm sawfly (Cimbex americana).
False Chinch Bugs Back Again
False chinch bugs are active yet again in South Dakota. Although they are normally only a nuisance pest, their populations can become magnified during cool, wet springs.
Watch for Pea Aphid Populations in Alfalfa
Recent reports have indicated that pea aphid populations are very large in some alfalfa fields and should continue to be monitored and possibly managed.
Winter Ticks in South Dakota
Winter ticks, also called moose ticks, are unlike other tick species because they are active during the winter months.
Winter Lice Control
Seeing cattle rubbing hair off due to lice infestations can be extremely frustrating. Not only are the cattle damaging fences and equipment, there also can be performance losses and health issues not to mention that the cattle are simply not as visibly appealing, which can be very important for seedstock producers or feeders selling backgrounded feeders.
What are Those Gigantic Flies?
As we progress later into the summer, we commonly see an increase in horse fly activity.