We have got our first full week of scouting fields under us this week and overall, this crop is looking much better than at this time the past several years. The crop is ranging anywhere from cotyledons just emerging and a couple of fields just being replanted to about 7^th true-leaf with the overall average around 2 to 3 true-leaves. For the most part everything is looking good on the insect front currently. We have some wireworms that are showing up worse this year than in years past and most likely have been steadily increasing and we have not noticed until now. On the acres following grain crops this is not much of a surprise as wireworms tend to be more of an issue in these fields. Thrips remain low and have not been a concern to this point and with the warm weather should not be an issue. We do have some fields that are growing rather slow right now, possibly salt, seedling disease, seed quality, fertility, moisture, or a combination of several of these that may need a little monitoring to make sure thrips or anything else does not set these fields back anymore. There are also a handful of aphids scattered around which at this point is a good food source for a slowly increasing beneficial population. Be careful however making any insecticide applications if aphids are present as you could flare them up and have to turn around and treat for aphids. Jumbos are starting to get worse, moving farther west. I have heard reports now of them being spotted as far west as Hwy 137. and down in Reagan County to 1357. Be on the lookout and try to stop them before the start taking out cotton. Like usual they are generally only along pastures. There are also quite a few of the various flying grasshopper species, these are not generally a concern unless there is a tremendous number of them.

Our earlier fields are now beginning to start putting squares on which means we are now turning our attention to fleahoppers. It’s important that we try to maintain those early squares on the plant. I have found quite a few fleahoppers in the weeds next to fields in croton, nightshade and horsemint. If you burn these weeds down early they will be forced to go somewhere else, if you wait until the cotton is about to square before you spray them then the only place they have to go is your cotton, at that point you are better off leaving them and hoping they stay there or putting an insecticide in with it to control them.