I am steadily seeing more and more fruit shed around the area, even in fields that do not have a particularly heavy load. Most of this crop is on schedule to finish blooming by the end of this month which will be right on schedule. On the flip side we have a lot of cotton just starting to bloom or maybe in the 1st week of bloom. These fields could still turn out alright with favorable weather this fall. It may be a bit of a gamble if we have a cool fall or an early freeze.

Fleahoppers are still hanging around and should still be monitored in cotton that is not yet blooming or just blooming, especially if you are planning on pushing the crop past the first of September. Fleahoppers will generally move to the blooms after first bloom, however, I have seen fields where they are staying in terminals and feeding on the small squares. I know that many of you are looking at letting this crop bloom until around September 15th so make sure fleahoppers do not get those squares.

Stink bugs are slowly showing up in spots mostly around Garden City. I am seeing more feeding punctures than stinkbugs currently. I am also seeing more green stink bugs this year than conchuela. As difficult as they can be to find, fields need to be checked in multiple locations as well as splitting bolls.