The UK Ag Weather Center’s degree day model for alfalfa weevil indicates that by the third week in March, many counties in Kentucky have exceed 190 Degree Days (DD), which is used as a starting point to begin scouting. In…
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Critical time to Begin Sampling for Alfalfa Weevil
The University of Kentucky Ag Weather Center’s degree day model for alfalfa weevil indicates that many counties in Kentucky are likely to exceed the 190 Degree Days (DD) used as a starting point to begin scouting by early to mid-March.…
Posted in Forages
Updates on the Sugarcane Aphid: A New Name, Insecticides for its Control, and Populations in 2022
New Name & Seasonal Update Since 2013, Melanaphis sacchari has been known as the sugarcane aphid; however, entomologist decided to change its name to sorghum aphid in view of the fact that sorghum is the main host of this pest.…
Posted in Forages
Sugarcane Aphid in Kentucky Sorghum
The sugarcane aphid (SCA) was reported in Kentucky last week in Woodford County on sweet sorghum. This invasive pest can cause up to 100% crop loss if left untreated on grain, forage, and sweet sorghum. SCA cannot survive Kentucky winters…
Presence of Fall Armyworms Detected in Forage Sorghum in Western KY
The larval stage of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a voracious defoliator of many plant species. The FAW is a native pest of the New World; however, it overwinters in south Florida or in the southernmost…
Posted in Forages
Blister Beetles: One Group of the Insects of Summer
The sound of cicadas and katydids whining in the woods or velvet ants and blister beetles running around on the ground are signs of summer in Kentucky. However, our relationship with blister beetles is complicated. Depending on the situation, they…
Posted in Forages
Don’t Get Burned by Potato Leafhopper…Hopperburn That Is!
Potato leafhoppers often go unnoticed until their characteristic damage to alfalfa begins to appear in early summer. Potato leafhopper is tiny and non-descript, hence, it is easy to overlook. It is the key insect pest of second and third cutting…
Posted in Forages
Grass Sawflies in Hay
After the fall armyworm outbreak we experienced last fall in soybeans, alfalfa, pastures, and other crops, producers are wary of insects building up in their pastures and hay fields. Last week, we had a report from a producer in south…
Posted in Forages
Conducive Weather for Seedcorn Maggot & Slugs Outbreaks in Field Crops
The rainy and cloudy weather we are currently observing in many growing areas of Kentucky may lead to outbreaks of seedcorn maggots and slugs in corn and soybeans. These pests are problems on emerging seedlings and reduce plant densities. If…
Spring Is Coming … So Is Alfalfa Weevil!
The UK Ag Weather Center’s degree day (DD) model for alfalfa weevil indicates that many counties in Kentucky are likely to exceed 190 DD (used as a starting point to begin scouting) by the third week of March. Once temperature…
Posted in Forages
Fall Armyworm Update
Fall armyworm reports continue to come in with a wide range of crops attacked, including pasture grasses (crabgrass, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, sorghum-Sudan grass), alfalfa, clover, soybean, sorghum, and cabbage. The pest has a wide host range including over 80…
Why are My Fall Armyworm Melting?
The have been a few reports of fall armyworm (FAW) larvae ‘melting’ on plants. This is likely due to infections of the larvae by a naturally occurring nucleopolyhedrovirus, usually referred to as an NPV. There are many different types of…
Fall Armyworm May Have a Persistent Presence as Oviposition Lingers in August
During July of 2021, fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) caused serious damage in soybeans and forages in Central and Western Kentucky. Fall armyworm is a polyphagous pest that feeds on many plant species of the Poaceae (grasses, including rice,…
Fall Armyworm Outbreak: Round Two
About a month ago, we experienced a large fall armyworm moth flight into the state from southern areas. This resulted in outbreaks in Western Kentucky in pastures, sorghum, and soybeans, primarily double-crop beans. Some surrounding states consider this the biggest…
Fall Armyworm Moth Numbers Increasing
Fall armyworm (FAW) is a migratory pest that re-infests Kentucky each summer and is killed by frost in the fall. It often shows up later in the season after corn has tassled and lost its attractiveness to this pest. But…
Posted in Forages
Kentucky Pest News 