Insecticides

  With higher commodity prices, producers are looking to protect every last bushel. And the battle against insect pests has gone beyond traditional soil-applied insecticides. Companies are rolling out several advanced formulations of insecticides to do battle against a laundry list of yield-robbing insects....More

BASF Crop Protection received registration of a new pyrethroid insecticide called Fastac EC for use in soybeans and cotton to control pests including aphids, beetles and stink bugs. Fastac EC insecticide will be available for use for the 2013 season....More

While soybean aphids did not pose as much of a threat in fields this summer as spider mites did, the saga of the aphid, which began in 2000, is now further complicated by a recent arrival of one of its natural enemies, a tiny Asian wasp, that was first spotted in Minnesota fields just last year....More

This past growing season, soybean aphids were unable to develop economic infestations in most  fields in the North Central region, according to University of Illinois professor of entomology and crop sciences extension coordinator Mike Gray.   “Is the ‘every other year’ infestation prediction a bust?” he wondered.  ...More

Drought-stressed crops are more susceptible to pest damage, and two-spotted spider mites are making the most of this year's hot, dry weather. University of Minnesota Extension researched spider mite control during the last major outbreaks in 1988, 2007 and 2009; the recommendations below are based on that research. For farmers and crop advisors not familiar with spider mites, the damage they cause may be mistaken for drought symptoms. Infestations usually begin on fields' edges, particularly adjacent to cut grass or alfalfa....More