MacRae: Insect Pressure Will Increase as Temps Climb

Insect activity is starting to pick up, but University of Minnesota Extension Entomologist Ian MacRae says soybean aphid numbers are still pretty low. “We don’t usually see our big buildups of soybean aphid until late July, early August, and that’s when it really starts to kick in. So, once our temperatures start to rise, we’ll see faster reproduction.” A cooler start to the summer has led to reduced bug activity, but MacRae says that could change soon. “It’s one of those years, though, that we’ve had intermittent cold, but as soon as it starts to warm up, we’re going to start seeing more insect activity. So, yeah, keep scouting.”