Japanese Beetle and other Insect Pressure

​Insects in corn and soybeans are considerable in some fields this year due to the mild winter. Many Japanese Beetles, and in corn-on-corn fields, a lot of Corn Rootworm (CRW) beetles have been observed this year. Be sure to scout at silk emergence in later planted or variable emerging fields to determine if there is a need to spray insecticide to prevent silk clipping and pollen feeding.  If an insecticide is needed, we suggest combining it with a fungicide application due to the current ideal conditions for disease development.  This is also a key timeframe for Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) flights. WBC can be quite damaging to the yield and grain quality unless you spray or have genetic control, such as Agrisure Viptera.
 
We are concerned about the high number of Japanese Beetles feeding in soybean fields as well, especially since many beans are smaller than normal because they struggled with a slow start due to often being too wet around planting and then before roots were well established it often turned off dry.
 
It also is a good time to do root digs to observe any rootworm feeding. Let us know by the end of July, if you planted Miller Hybrids corn containing a rootworm trait that did not adequately control corn rootworms, as there may be credit given to you from the genetic trait provider.

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