By Clint Thompson Two bioassays conducted at the University of Georgia (UGA) showed diamide insecticide resistance developing in beet armyworms. How widespread it is remains a mystery, says Stormy Sparks, UGA Cooperative Extension vegetable entomologist. “That showed up last year. We’re still not sure how widespread it is. We’ve gotten reports from multiple crops, multiple people, multiple insecticides,” Sparks said. …
Diamide Resistance in Beet Armyworms
By Clint Thompson Specialty crop producers should be wary that Diamide resistance in beet armyworm exists. How widespread it is remains a question mark, says Stormy Sparks, University of Georgia Extension vegetable entomologist. “We know it’s there, and when it’s there it’s bad. We don’t know how widespread it is,” Sparks said. “Where we’ve looked at is where we’ve had …
Alabama Extension Expert Encourages Vegetable Growers to Scout for Armyworms
AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala. – Alabama Cooperative Extension entomologists are reporting a drastic increase in armyworm moth numbers. Vegetable producers should be scouting regularly. There are four armyworm species commonly seen in Alabama: Southern armyworms, beet armyworms, fall armyworms and yellowstriped armyworms. Ayanava Majumdar, an Alabama Extension entomologist, said populations of Southern armyworms are growing, and beet armyworm infestations are likely …
Scouting for Fall Armyworms
By Clint Thompson Now is the time of year that fall armyworms make their presence known in Alabama. Eric Schavey, regional Extension agent in Northeast Alabama, said turf producers and some vegetable growers need to be mindful of the insects, which start to appear in late July and early August. “Fall armyworms, there’s some out. I haven’t seen any damage …
Insect Concerns? Possible Resistance to Coragen in Beet Armyworm
By Clint Thompson University of Georgia (UGA) Extension specialists are alerting specialty crop producers about the potential resistance of Coragen in beet armyworms. Stormy Sparks, (UGA) Extension vegetable entomologist, cautions growers in the UGA Extension Vegetable Blog that beet armyworm is surviving applications of chlorantraniliprole (Coragen, Prevathon, Vantacor, Besiege) in cowpea and peanut fields. While additional research needs to be …
Alabama Extension Entomologist: Residual Insecticides Key Against Armyworms
By Clint Thompson Last year’s persistent rains contributed to armyworms being more of a nuisance in Alabama’s specialty crop fields. “If you can control weather, you can control armyworms,” joked Ayanava Majumdar, Extension professor of Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University. “We had an extremely wet summer. The weather was just perfect for those insects.” Majumdar believes growers can …
Sweet Corn Insect Management: Scouting Important Against Fall Armyworms
By Clint Thompson Scouting remains the main key for Florida sweet corn farmers in fending off fall armyworms this season. Julien Beuzelin, a University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) entomologist, said appropriate management of fall armyworms starts with making sure you have a problem to begin with. “For armyworms, scouting is very important because you …
Fall Armyworm Infestations: Be Sure to Scout Against Insect Pressure
High pest pressure in Alabama means vegetable and specialty crop producers needs to stay vigilant in their scouting especially as fall crops like brassicas are being planted. Fall armyworm moths continue to be very active throughout Alabama. They have almost doubled in numbers since August 2021 and are more than five times the numbers from 2020. According to the Alabama …
Why the Increase? Alabama Extension Entomologist Talks Rise in Fall Armyworms
By Clint Thompson High infestations of fall armyworms may be a surprise to Alabama producers this summer, but they aren’t to Ayanava Majumdar, Extension Professor in Entomology and Plant Pathology at Auburn University. “We had the trap numbers from the very beginning, and we knew this was coming,” Majumdar said. According to the most recent Alabama Extension Pest Monitoring Report, …
Management Tactics for Fall Armyworm Infestations
Fall armyworm infestations continue to be rampant across Alabama. According to the most recent Alabama Extension Pest Monitoring Report, there were 585 moth numbers collected in 19 different trap locations. That is way more than the 114 recorded this time last year. Fall armyworms are dark with a Y-shaped mark on their head and four spots at the tail end. …