Content by Patrick Wagner

Small beetle with elongated black snout. Beetle is red-orange in color.

Management of Pyrethroid-resistant Red Sunflower Seed Weevils

Factsheet on the management strategies of Pyrethroid-resistant Red Sunflower Seed Weevils.

Ants on a sidewalk next to some green grass.

Ants Preparing for Another Busy Year

A wet growing season last year combined with a mild winter has boosted ant activity across the state, and we have already received numerous questions from both curious and concerned residents in South Dakota.

a handfull of sunflower seeds with small holes in the shells on a white table.

Differentiating Insect Damage to Sunflower Seeds

This publication covers different insect damage characteristics to sunflower seeds.

A reddish-brown Hessian fly with long black legs and beaded antennae resting on a plant.

Hessian Flies in South Dakota

This fact sheet covers the identification, life cycle and management options for Hessian Flies in South Dakota.

Parasitoid wasp with an orange abdomen and dark brown head and thorax.

Wheat Stem Sawfly Parasitoid: Bracon cephi

This fact sheet covers the identification and lifecycle of a parasitoid wasp species in South Dakota that attacks Wheat Stem Sawfly larvae.

A yellowish-orange beetle with black squares along the back resting on a green plant.

Bean Leaf Beetles in South Dakota

This fact sheet provides an overview of the biology of the Bean Leaf Beetle and management options for South Dakota.

A long slender black and yellow bug with smoky gray wings and long antennae.

Wheat Stem Sawflies in South Dakota Wheat

This fact sheet covers the identification, lifecycle and management of Wheat Stem Sawflies in South Dakota.

Two young women observing a group of sheep in a holding pen.

Managing Sheep Keds

Sheep keds (Melophagus ovinus) are blood-sucking external parasites that can significantly impact sheep production.

Cream colored larva that has an accordion shape and a brown head in the stem of a sunflower.

Dectes Stem Borer in South Dakota Sunflowers

Factsheet covering Dectes stem borer in sunflowers.

West Nile Virus Update: October 16, 2025

As of October 16, 2025, the South Dakota Department of Health reported 86 human cases of West Nile virus from Aurora, Beadle, Bon Homme, Brookings, Brown, Charles Mix, Clay, Codington, Corson, Douglas, Grant, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hand, Hughes, Hutchison, Hyde, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Meade, Miner, Minnehaha, Pennington, Roberts, Sanborn, Spink, Stanley, Todd, Union, Walworth, and Yankton counties.