IARN — Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach staff have discovered foundational colonies of soybean aphids in research plots and commercial fields in northern Iowa.
Such thresholds do not warrant treatment. However, continuous scouting efforts suggest growing populations. Extension staff offer recommendations on how to best approach this decades old pest.
Extension entomologist specialist Erin Hodgson encourages producers to begin scouting for soybean aphids, which have popped up across Iowa’s rural landscape.
“She is a small, asexual clone in the summer, about one-and-a-half millimeters from tip to tail. She normally has a bright green body, dark cornicles, or tail pipes at the tip of her abdomen. She’s pear-shaped, has a little head and pear-shaped body, (and) is capable of flight. Normally you’re going to see the wingless version, but when things get crowded, you’re going to see this winged morph,” Hodgson said.
Soybean aphids can be mistaken for potato leafhoppers, also commonly found in Iowa. The potato leafhopper, however, is structured differently. It presents a big head and tapering abdomen. Hodgson emphasizes the importance of scouting, especially when it comes to this little pest.
“The odds of making a profit on that crop decrease, if you’re not scouting. There has to be some level, or insect density worth treating to protect that to make a breakeven point,” Hodgson said. “The more you scout, the less often you’ll have to spray, especially for an erratic pest. And the odds of profit go up.”
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
