Insect Update 6-12-26: Spider Mites and Aphids in Cotton, Cotton Jassid Update, Southwestern Corn Borer

Extension entomologists Nick Bateman and Ben Thrash give a quick update on rice delphacid, an overview of control of aphids and spider mites in cotton, the current status of cotton jassid and more.

Transcript

[00:01] Intro/Outro 

Arkansas Row Crops Radio, providing up to date information and timely recommendations on row crop production in Arkansas. 

[00:12] Ben Thrash 

Hey everybody, today is June 12th, and I don't know, there's not just a whole lot going on out there. But I think there's a couple of things to talk about anyways. Nick, what's happening in rice? 

[00:25] Nick Bateman 

You know, we're we're kind of past the rice water weevil thing with how much rice is going to flood. I will say that just kind of looking at our plots and the few phone calls and I'm still getting on them, like still a lot of adults out there on the landscape. So you might look out, it's going to be hard to convince a grower to to spray post flood. 

But really, about the only thing to talk about there is, is just a quick delphacid update. And it sounds like the folks in Texas are seeing a pretty similar story last year. There seems like they're finding more fields with delphacid in them by the day. We’ve still yet to document them in Arkansas, and to my knowledge, I don't think they found them in Louisiana yet either. 

So I really I still kind of stick by the I think a lot of this rice is going to outrun it this year. I still think it's going to be a late season issue, but if their wind blown time will tell. But as of right now, we we haven't documented them here, but, you know, here in a couple of weeks, we'll get geared up around stink bugs. 

But right now it's pretty dang quiet. So that's that's really all it's going on there. 

[01:39] Ben Thrash 

Yeah. And cotton, we're starting to see a little bit of stuff. We got, there's a few people picking up some Spider mites in some of the smaller cotton, right now. So just kind of keep that in mind at this time of year. You know, I guess I would probably just stick with my abamectin with like a Agri-Mek or something like that. 

And that's probably what I'd go go with at this time of year. You know, something else that we've been picking up from time to time, I even saw some of my plots, and I've got a few calls on them are aphids. And, you know, we're usually not getting too worked up about aphids. A lot of times whenever we get into plant bugs, I mean, you're putting out imidacloprid, you're putting out transform, and most of the time you're getting pretty decent control. 

You're getting you're getting all right control with imidacloprid. And then you get really good control with like transform. But the thing I want to talk about is that if these aphids hang around for longer, you know, before you go out with your Vertento shot, you know, if you're getting third week, a square or something like that, and you've got some aphids out there in the field, I would probably want to go ahead and hit them with with like a shot of transform before you move over into your Vertento shot, because we have seen it over in the past to where some aphids have blown up behind that. 

So, you know, I might want to get those cleaned up before I went out with with that shot after your plant bugs. So just kind of keep that in mind. And, you know, another thing, I guess just kind of update on the jassid, I guess now it's kind of moved out of Florida just within the past couple of days. 

I've got a I've got notified that they've picked it up and Tifton, Georgia a couple days ago and then they picked it up in Tallassee, Alabama as of I think, yesterday. And so it seems like this thing starting to move out of Florida and like I said, so I think last year they first found in Alabama on June 17th. 

And so this is lining up pretty close to how it did last year. So, you know, kind of keep that in mind. We're going to be looking for it in some wild hosts, things like wild hibiscus. I'm checking, you know, some of these plant nurseries and stuff where they do have some hibiscus because it can get transported on, on it. 

You know, Aaron Cato, our horticulture IPM specialist, has gave some of our agents some, some okra seed to plant in some areas to see if they can pick up this cotton on okra, because they really like okra, apparently. But then we're also just checking around trying to see if we can if we'll pick it up. So just kind of keep that in in mind. 

And if you, if you find anything that you suspect might be cotton jassid, please, you know, call us and let us know or send us some pictures because we would like to know and let everybody know that if there is cotton in the area, to be on the lookout for it. How about beans, Nick? There's not not just a whole lot going on. 

I mean, I've got a few calls on on stink bugs. 

[05:07] Nick Bateman 

Yeah, that that's about it. Sounds like a lot of third to half threshold type populations of greens and browns. And some of these R2, R3, you know, R4 beans and a few folks asking, you know, what about the bollworm situation in beans. And with as much corn as we've got tasseling and silking I think it's sucking up every moth in the country right now. 

I mean, I think a lot of these early beans are probably not going to have to worry about bollworms. 

[05:36] Ben Thrash 

Yeah, I don't think so either. I mean, most of them, most of these bollworms are going straight to corn, just like Nick said. And then the other thing we're hearing, I mean, those guys picking up some low levels of stink bugs out in these, you know, R2, R3 beans. I mean, I'm hearing a lot of threes and fours, you know, on 25 sweeps. 

Nothing to really get too excited about. But, you know, just keep it a keep an eye out for them. 

[06:03] Nick Bateman 

Other thing to consider too, from a corn front is, you know, depending on where you're at the state, there's there's some areas that are pretty good going, big hot spots for southwestern and haven't really heard a lot of trap information yet. But, you know, this is the time that that first generation is going to really start flying. 

So if you got non bt corn, you may consider something like a Besiege, Vantacor or something like that. Just to give some added protection there on on corn borer. 

[06:39] Ben Thrash 

Yep. That's what I think too. So anyways I don't there's not a lot of else to talk about, Nick. 

[06:45] Nick Bateman 

No. And you know the other thing and I don't know, you know, pastures aren't necessarily neither one of our specialties, but I've had a few people asking if we're going to deal with falls, and that's always a crapshoot. But I ain't had the first report of Army worm, regardless of crop, pastyre any of that. So it's it's pretty dang quiet on that front too. 

[07:06] Ben Thrash 

Yeah, I hadn't heard anything about them either. So I mean, if we start picking them up, we'll let everybody know. But I haven't seen fall armyworm this year. 

[07:15] Nick Bateman 

So and haven't really heard much when we're counterparts down in Texas about them. You know, that's usually where they they come from. And it sounds like it's been somewhat quiet there as well. 

[07:25] Ben Thrash 

Yeah. And the beans I swept, I mean, I hadn't even picked up any other worms. Hardly. Besides just a couple of green clover worms here and there. So pretty. Pretty light overall so far. Yeah, well, if you need us, call us. My number is (501) 517-3853. 

[07:42] Nick Bateman 

Mine is 870-456-8486. 

[07:47] Ben Thrash 

All right. Thank you very much. 

[07:51] Intro/Outro 

Arkansas Row Crops Radio is a production of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. For more information, please contact your local county extension Agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.