By Brian Hefty

I don’t care if you’re raising wheat, soybeans, corn, or any other crop, insect issues can be devastating. Due to the warm, windy spring we just had, we are already seeing more bugs than normal. Here are our quick suggestions on how to keep these insects from robbing your yield this season.

  1. Scout your fields on a regular basis. Insects can blow in and explode in numbers in a hurry, so keep checking your land all throughout the season.
  2. Identify the pests. This is pretty basic stuff, but some insects are harmful; some are not. If you don’t know what the bug is, send us a picture for help with identification.
  3. Use REAL economic thresholds. Don’t forget that the full rate of a product like Silencer is only $2. In other words, if you are already out there spraying a herbicide or a fungicide, you need only a few harmful insects to justify treatment. The biggest damage insects cause is allowing diseases and other stresses to lower your yield. Sure, every bite a bug takes could potentially reduce the transport of water and nutrients in your crop, as well as lower the photosynthesis rate, but the most harmful impact often occurs later in the year when diseases and other pathogens enter your plants through those open wounds.
  4. Don’t spray unless you see bugs, in most cases. Beneficial insects can often keep a few harmful bugs at bay. There’s no point in spending money on an insecticide unless you have to, so we’re not big fans of throwing an insecticide in just because it’s the last time you want to run across the field. If there are no bugs there, it’s usually a good idea to avoid applying the insecticide. That said, make sure you actually scout the field first, just so you know one way or the other about the insect population.
  5. Pick the right insecticide. Silencer is great for most bugs, but if you have spider mites you’ll need Brigade, Lorsban, or something with either of those two active ingredients. Also, don’t forget about Transform. Transform isn’t labeled in every crop, and it costs a little more money – about $6 to treat instead of $2 – but it won’t kill lady beetles. If the only insects you have are aphids, leafhoppers, and plant bugs, Transform may be the product for you.
  6. Be careful with your tankmixes. Most insecticides can be mixed with almost any herbicide, fungicide, and foliar fertilizer on the market. However, Lorsban or anything containing chlorpyrifos can add leaf burn. While Lorsban can be used with many products, it can’t be used with everything, so make sure you talk to your agronomist about your tankmix.