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This is Jack Bacheler Extension Entomologist at NCSU with the final cotton insect report for 2009. Today is Thursday, September 10.

I was in the field all last week and not able to submit last Wednesday’s tape September 2nd tape.

It looks like cotton insect pests are down for the count for the remainder of the 2009 season. We looked at 26 cotton fields yesterday in Northampton County; the fields represented a range of maturity. We didn’t find the first bollworm or fall armyworm. Even stink bugs were very scarce, although present in moderate to high number in a few soybean fields.

Although we appeared to have come through a higher than normal stink bug year on cotton, bollworms were about average for some and very low for others this year. We had a few scattered cases of less that expected control of bollworms with pyrethroids this season, suggesting some increased tolerance to this class of chemicals by bollworms. However, we have had difficulty in confirming an upward trend in tolerance or resistance from year to year. If affordable, some new insecticides such as Coragen and Belt provide excellent control of bollworms.

On another related subject, remember that time’s running out for Bollgard cotton varieties unless seed has been purchased for the 2010 growing season. I would expect to see essentially all of next year’s cotton be either Bollgard II or Widestrike, with the possible exception of a few acres of conventional non-Bt cotton. In our annual damaged boll survey, both BGII and WideStrike cotton lines have produced less than ½ of 1% bollworm-damaged bolls under grower conditions averaged over the past 5 years, so unless or until bollworm resistance develops to these new technologies, bollworm damage to cotton can be expected to be very low in the coming years, and stink bug management will increasing become the major insect focus of producers along with thrips in most years.

At this coming year’s winter grower meetings, we’ll cover practical ways to use the new dynamics threshold for managing stink bugs, the role of planting dates to help in managing thrips, getting the most out of new Bt cotton technologies, the status of secondary cotton pests, and how to judge when protection from late season insect damage is no longer needed. Hope to see you at one of these meetings.

As some of you know, Dr. Dominic Reisig was recently hired to assume the responsibilities formerly held by John Van Duyn @ the Vernon James Center in Plymouth. Dominic will have the major statewide responsibility for insect IPM in wheat, field corn and soybean, as well as cotton responsibility in the NE region of NC. I will have a secondary supportive role for wheat field, field corn and soybean in the Piedmont and mountains and the major statewide responsibility for cotton. We plan to conduct a number of collaborative projects together. I hope you will take the opportunity to meet Dominic in the coming weeks and months.

In the mean time, please do not hesitate or call with any insect-related questions.

As far as these cotton insect update tapes go, we’ll see you in March the next growing season. See you then.