Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Soybean Aphid: Numbers are on the rise in Central Kentucky… At least a little!

Over the previous week we have seen an increase in the number of locations reporting the presence of soybean aphid (SA), and in one case a substantial increase in the number of reported aphids per plant. Neither of these finds is unexpected, nor do they indicate an immediate problem but they do illustrate that pest numbers are increasing slowly.

This is typical for SA in Kentucky. Experience has shown me that when soybean aphid populations are detected they will most likely be found in the counties between I-65 and I-75. Also, this area generally has larger populations than found in the western production area. In addition the only SA populations that have approached threshold levels have occurred in these counties. Nevertheless, we do know that this pest is active state wide so no one should dismiss it out of hand.

Our history with this insect tells us that we are unlikely to need a treatment but insects are very adaptive, and local populations can vary from the norm. Keep an eye on them!

See Kentucky Pest News at: http://www.uky.edu/Ag/kpn/kpnhome.htm for the complete story.

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