News

Japanese beetles are back

A pair of Illinois agronomists say Japanese beetle numbers are up this season.

“Japanese beetles came hot out of the gate really heavy.”

Kris Ehler, a CCA based in Champaign County, says the insects can affect both corn and soybeans. 

“In soybeans, it takes a lot of feeding on the leaves to really reach an economic threshold.”  He says, “On the corn side of things, silks are out. I would definitely be scouting that. We’ve got heavier pressure; they may be doing some silk clipping that could inhibit pollination.”

AUDIO: Kris Ehler – Illinois CCA

Beck’s Hybrids agronomist Chad Kalaher, who covers east central and northeastern Illinois, tells Brownfield, “The general rule of thumb is if we don’t have pollination complete yet in corn, and if those beetles are eating back silks to within about a half inch to an inch of the ear tip, that’s usually the threshold of when we need to spray insecticide,” he says.

Both say many farmers will tank mix an insecticide with fungicide applications to reduce the potential impact of Japanese beetles.

AUDIO: Chad Kalaher – Beck’s Hybrids