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Pest alerts tip off producers to damaging insects

Published: October 16, 2009
Story Source: Steven Kirk, 573-882-5612

COLUMBIA, Mo. - E-mail alerts on selected insect pests are available from University of Missouri's Integrated Pest Management program.

Subscribers can choose to receive alerts on any or all of 11 economically important insect pests. MU IPM's pest-monitoring network collects data from pheromone traps across Missouri. Subscribers automatically receive alerts when pest captures reach significant levels.

"The traps are checked frequently to provide up-to-date pest population data as an important tool to help producers make sound pest-management decisions," said Steven Kirk, MU Extension horticulturist and coordinator of the pest-monitoring network.

MU IPM also posts information on Twitter and Facebook. For information on all these services, see http://ppp.missouri.edu/pestmonitoring.

Pest alerts from moth and beetle captures in the pheromone traps don't necessarily indicate that treatment is necessary, Kirk said. "However, they do provide a valuable tool to our subscribers indicating that scouting for potential pests in nearby locations is advisable."

Monitoring for pest outbreaks is a cornerstone of Integrated Pest Management, which stresses scouting rather than calendar-based treatments to detect pests and determine if action is necessary.

Alerts are available for the following insects: black cutworm, beet armyworm, corn earworm, European corn borer, fall armyworm, Japanese beetle, southwestern corn borer, tobacco budworm, true armyworm, western bean cutworm and soybean looper.

For more information on Integrated Pest Management, see http://ppp.missouri.edu/ipm/.