Landscape Ecology

Matt and Erin are back in the swing of podcasting after a long winter. But the pandemic means they can record the episode in their sweatpants! Matt provides an update on brown marmorated stink bug, an invasive species on the rise in Iowa and Japanese beetle activity. Erin gives a short recap of recent pest conditions in soybean, noting wireworms. Matt wraps up the conversation with a newly-designed F.I.T. 

This podcast episode focuses on a few recent pest updates, like soybean aphid, twospotted spider mites, and a mix of defoliators. Matt talks about spider mite activity in some of his research plots and also in fields near Brookings, SD. Erin notes soybean aphid activity is down throughout Iowa and they both revisit the economic threshold for this common pest. To read more information about why the economic threshold for soybean aphid remains consistently at 250 per plant, read this webpage co-authored by many university entomologists. Finally, Matt shares a research update on the release of parasitic wasps that like to feed on soybean aphid.