Erin Hodgson
Dr. Erin Hodgson started working in the Department of Entomology at Iowa State University in 2009. She is a professor with extension and research responsibilities in corn and soybeans. She has a general background in integrated pest management (IPM) for field crops. Dr. Hodgson's current extension and research programs are focused on improving corn and soybean production by using IPM tactics to protect yield and increase overall farmer profits. Among other projects, she oversees insecticide efficacy evaluations for soybean aphids, Japanese beetles, and aphids in corn. Erin also helps manage emerging field crop pests and invasive species.
Subscribe to RSS FeedOver the weekend, someone let me know they saw a western corn rootworm adult. Remember this pest overwinters as an egg that hatches in June! They get confused with closely-related species every spring: striped cucumber beetle. Striped and spotted cucumber beetles overwinter as adults and become...
A free app is now available to simplify the early detection of brown marmorated stink bug in the Midwest. This new invasive species has a wide host range, including soybean, corn, apples, tomatoes, grapes and peppers. App features include:
- A stink bug "look...
Insecticide-resistant soybean aphids have emerged as a new challenge to farmers throughout the upper Midwest. In a new regional publication, we suggest strategies for managing soybean aphids resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. A few key points for managing aphids are:
The IPM team at Iowa State University has been monitoring for field crop pests for a long time. The target pests have changed over the years, but the goal always remains the same: help inform farmers about pest activity in Iowa. One long-standing...
This week, my technician Greg VanNostrand found a black widow in our storage Quonset at the ISU Johnson Research Farm. The farm is just south of Ames in Story County. She is an adult female and had a pile of dead body fragments below her web. Needless to say, she was healthy and happy in the...
Often people have fond memories of monarch butterflies and look forward to their arrival each summer. But there is some confusion about their migration pattern and population decline. “How can such a tiny butterfly travel such a great distance?” and “What do you mean the population is declining...
In mid-August of this summer, I wasn’t hearing anything about aphids feeding on corn and I thought we weren’t going to see it this year. These aphids are highly erratic and so where and when they land are not well understood. But the last week of August, I started to hear from folks in northern...
I’m getting a lot of questions regarding treatment timing for soybean aphid. Mainly, when is it too late to treat? In the last week of August 2017, most fields are reaching R5/R6 and so the question is an important one. In my soybean aphid efficacy evaluation, I have sprayed at different plant...
The economic threshold of 250 soybean aphids per plant, with more than 80% of plants infested and aphid populations increasing was published in 2007 to prevent populations from reaching the EIL. These values were determined by closely monitoring aphid populations in research...
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Iowa is still considered abnormally dry. Twospotted spider mites are erratic pests in some corn and soybean fields right now, particularly in southern Iowa. I’ve been...
A few of you with eagle eyes have been asking about this unique-looking caterpillar feeding in soybean. The green body and dark head capsule definitely make it stand out compared to other green caterpillars. It’s the obliquebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana), a tortricid moth....
Today while scouting a commercial field north of Ames, I was looking for soybean aphid. I didn't see one aphid (sniff, sniff), but I did see a handful of thistle caterpillars. The caterpillars web together soybean leaves and feed inside the temporary home. They also produce copious amounts of...
This week, we finally got most of our plots in the ground. We've been patiently waiting for soil conditions to improve. This year, I have research in four locations around Iowa: NW Research Farm (Sutherland), Northern Research Farm (Kanawha), NE Research Farm (Nashua), and Johnson/Bruner...
Last summer, I wrote a blog about how the spring started off warm compared to most summers. I was curious to know about accumulated temperatures for 2017. According to the...
Monarch butterflies are an iconic species, known for their vibrant orange color and magnificent migration. Monarchs overwinter as adults in Central Mexico and fly to Texas and Oklahoma in the spring. Females lay eggs on milkweed plants, and the caterpillars feed on milkweed for about two weeks....
In 2017, ISU is reporting black cutworm (BCW) peak flights by county and providing degree day resources for more personalized cutting prediction dates using actual accrued degree days for a specific location. We first reported on BCW peak flights in the...
You might not think insects would make great parents, and in general, you would be correct. Most species just drop eggs and keep moving. But there are a few species, particularly true bugs (Hemiptera), that do try to protect their young. Parental care ranges from hiding eggs, to providing food,...
This week, a couple Iowa crop consultants reported grubs are easy to find this spring. I assume they are digging in crop soils to evaluate seed germination. Last...
The multicolored Asian lady beetle, also known as Harmonia axyridis, is a common insect in the ag landscape and...
The recent wet weather in Iowa has prompted people to ask me if insects can breathe under water. In short, most...
A couple weeks ago, I posted an ICM News article talking about...
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is helping Iowa farmers manage weeds, insects and diseases in their fields.
Pest management is key to high yields and quality grain. ISU Extension and Outreach specialists are working to provide the tools and resources farmers need to manage...
I recently posted an ICM News article about how scouting for alfalfa weevils in southern Iowa. It doesn't take too many accumulated degree days for them to start moving around...
Yesterday, the EPA announced it will not proceed with any restrictions for a commonly-used insecticide, chlorpyrifos. This includes no changes to chlorpyrifos tolerances in the U.S. In 2015, a petition to revoke chlorpyrifos was submitted to the EPA by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC...
In 2011, brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) was first confirmed in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Since then, live detections have been confirmed in 19 Iowa counties. These stink bugs have been found in and around human structures, mostly homes in urban areas. I don’t know of any BMSB specimens found in...