Strange start to soybean production

Despite a slow start to planting, some insects are starting to respond to emerging soybeans.
In this episode Erin and Matt kick off the 13th season on the 13th of June with a brief discussion of the spiders on Stranger Things before getting into soybean pest activity. Erin reviews predictions about bean leaf beetle winter mortality and subsequent activity on spring emerging soybeans.  Erin also reviews her groups work tracking several lepidopteran pests (that’s a bunch of moth species that feed as caterpillars on corn and soybeans).  Matt notes that it’s not just soybeans that these hungry beetles are feeding on.
For more details about the overwintering survival of bean leaf beetles- https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2022/04/another-tough-winter-bean-leaf-beetle
Erin and her technician Ashley Dean have developed a pest alert system. Visit this website for more details- https://pestalerts.extension.iastate.edu/.
If you are looking for an interesting event about pollinators, visit ISU’s Pollinator Fest on 25 June at Rieman Gardens, just south of the Jack Trice stadium.