The hot, dry conditions across Michigan may lead to an increase of spider mites.
Ben Hoyt is a with Specialty Hybrids in Michigan. He says if left untreated, spider mites can cause significant damage to soybean crops.
“When you get rain, it creates a natural bacteria that takes care of them and when it’s dry they will explode in your soybean crop,” says Hoyt. If you don’t get rain, it can [mean] a weekly spray [application] because they’ll just take all the rest the moisture out of the plant that’s already depleted.”
At first, Spider mite damage is typically most visible along the edges of the field.
Marty Park is with Gutwein Seed Services – a Specialty Hybrids dealer based in Jasper County, Indiana. He says it’s best to hold off on using your Bush Hog mower when it gets this hot and dry.
“If you’re in one of those dry areas, I would suggest that you do not mow your roadsides because when you mow the roadsides, you will chase the mites into the outer rows of the bean fields and then they can progress from there,” Park says.
He adds there’s a very simply way to check for spider mites in your soybean field.
“The best way to do that is to pull a few plants, take a white paper plate with you shake those plants over the paper plate and see if there are any mites moving around on that white paper plate. It makes [them] easier to see,” says Park.
“If you have quite a few, I would talk with your chemical retailers and figure out the best insecticide options that you have in there to protect those fields,” according to Park.
Click BELOW to hear C.J. Miller’s news story on how to prevent spider mites from damaging your soybeans this summer.
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