The black legume aphid (or cowpea aphid) is an unfamiliar sight in Kentucky alfalfa; however, there were many established colonies on alfalfa in Fayette County late last week. Adults have shiny black bodies; nymphs are slate gray. The legs are…
Monthly Archives: August 2014
May Not Be a Problem, But We’re Trapping Large Numbers of Stink Bugs!
Certainly this is the time to be checking your soybeans for the presence of stink bugs. I have not noticed economically important problems in the beans I have sampled, but stink bugs are certainly common and our light traps have…
Posted in Grains
Spotted Wing Drosophila Update
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD) is in high numbers in many parts of the state and has overwhelmed control efforts in some areas. Fall red raspberry (Figure 1) harvest is underway and some growers have not been able to get adequate…
Posted in Fruit
Soil-borne Pathogens Serve as the Biggest Threat to Mum Production in KY
Many of our vegetable and greenhouse producers are beginning to include fall chrysanthemum production in their operations. Mums are usually planted in June and sold in September when fall color is in demand. In Kentucky, mum production can vary in…
Posted in Ornamentals
Oleander Aphids on Monarch Project Plants
Plants grown to attract monarch butterflies may become infested with bright yellow oleander aphids. Colonies of these small sap-feeding insects live on stems, foliage, and seedpods of oleander, butterfly weed, and milkweed. All of these aphids are females; however, they…
Posted in Ornamentals
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Update
In regions where brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has been established for several years in Kentucky (Louisville, Lexington, and eastern KY counties), this insect has become common in some locations. It is now an economic pest on a number of…
Posted in Household Pests, Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Ground Beetles are Common Household Pests
Shiny, often black ground beetles are common predators along foundations, lawns, and crop fields. These fast crawlers typically have narrow, flat, triangular heads with a pair of forward pointed pinching jaws. Their flat bodies allow them to enter cracks and…
Posted in Household Pests
Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab Highlights
The following plant disease highlights from the UK Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratories represent recent sample submissions from field crops, fruit, vegetables, and ornamentals. During the past week, agronomic crop diagnoses included brown spot, frogeye, charcoal rot, sudden death syndrome, soybean…
Posted in Plant Disease Diagnostic Lab
2014 Insect Trap Counts
Weekly trap counts for major insect pests are provided by the Kentucky IPM Program. Traps are located at the UK Research Center in western Kentucky and the UK Spindletop Farm in Lexington. Below are trap counts for the current period.…
Posted in Insect Trap Counts
Scouting for Corn Stalk Strength
Temperatures have generally been cooler than usual during this year’s corn grain-fill period. In addition, over the past 30 days, overcast, rainy conditions have predominated in some areas; whereas in other areas, particularly far western Kentucky, rainfall levels have been…
Posted in Grains
Southern Corn Rust Activity
Southern rust has been active in a number of areas to the south of Kentucky. See the southern corn rust map (Figure 1) available on the IPM-PIPE Web site. Furthermore, activity in Nebraska (as has been documented) often indicates detection…
Posted in Grains
Shelling Corn Early? Watch That Moisture!
Lack of rainfall has put many corn producers in a bind, forcing them to begin harvest before the normal time. Early storage results in more days of warm, moist air before we reach the relatively secure air temperatures of 50o…
Posted in Grains
Blue Mold Confirmed in Kentucky Burley Crop
Blue mold was confirmed on burley tobacco samples from Lewis and Mason counties on August 18, 2014. Samples included multiple leaves with both older (at least 10-day-old) lesions and new lesions with active sporulation (Figures 1 and 2). Samples just…
Posted in Tobacco
Watch for Leaf-Footed Bugs in Vegetables
Producers are advised to scout their fields for pests at least on a weekly basis to watch for changes in pest populations. One type of uncommon pest group that scouts may happen upon is the leaf-footed bugs. Leaf-footed bugs are…
Posted in Vegetables
Periodical Cicada Reminder for West Kentucky
Brood XXIII of the periodical cicada will emerge along the Mississippi River Valley starting in mid-May 2015. This 13-year brood occurs primarily in the western counties of the state. It would be wise to delay transplanting trees or woody ornamentals…
Posted in Forest Trees, Landscape Trees & Shrubs
Kentucky Pest News 