Bean Leaf Beetles & Aphids

It has been brought to our attention by some customers in Minnesota, that the Bean Leaf Beetle infestation is under way which is a big concern for us this year.  Because the beetles winter over each year, we never quite know how much infestation there is going to be.  The warm winter weather has not killed many of the adults.  An easy way to tell if you have them, it looks like someone took a shotgun to the field, there will be a bunch of holes in the leaves.  The best thing is to spray with Warrior and a pound of sugar.  Keep in mind that even though you have killed the adults, they may have already laid eggs.  The larvae will eat the nodules off the soybean roots during the end of June, first part of July.  When they reemerge in the middle of July, make sure you spray with Warrior and a pound of sugar again.   The sugar will give you a couple of weeks of residual and help curve the damage that the adults may have caused.  Be advised, the aphids will have the potential to be very a large problem also this year with the warm winter and lack of rainfall.  If you see any aphids, you need to spray the field immediately because by the time you spray, they may have doubled in population.
 – Mark Terpstra