Fleahopper numbers are steadily rising throughout the region. In many instances they have not reached economic threshold as of yet, but when combined with what appears to be some early weather related square loss, we have some very low square sets at this point in the season. Especially considering our yield potential currently. In many of the fields that I have looked at this week square sets have ranged anywhere from 50-75%, this is much lower than we would like this early in the season. Also, as I have mentioned to many of you, as our yield potential and/or price of cotton increases, our economic thresholds decrease. Therefore, we will want to spray a little quicker this year than normal. Even though you are already sinking a lot of money into this crop, you will want to protect what you have and potentially add to it with the available moisture. For those looking to treat, acephate (Orthene) is a cheap way to go but will be pretty hard on your beneficials. Something like Intruder or Centric will cost more but is a much softer chemical and will be easier on the good guys.

Beneficial numbers vary considerably around the area from fields with very good numbers to many fields that have basically just spiders and maybe only a few lady bugs. You may want to take these beneficial numbers into account when choosing a chemical if control measures are needed for fleahoppers.

I have been asked several times over the past week exactly how to go about scouting for fleahoppers so I thought I would provide you with a link to a video that our IPM Agent Kerry Siders in Hockley and Cochran Counties put together several years ago and how to properly scout for fleahoppers. I have also uploaded the video on my Facebook page at stlawrenceipm