I’ve had a lot of questions about soybean gall midge over the winter and in the last few weeks. Most fields have plants with 4-7 trifoliates and I’ve even seen some flowers! If you are connected with the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network, you know midges have been active in Nebraska for a few weeks. But they first appeared in mid-June in Iowa, similar to 2019 and 2020.
As of last year, we had 31 counties in western Iowa that had positive detections of larvae on plants. Many of you are looking for infested plants and sending reports of detections – I really appreciate it! So far in 2021, soybean gall midge larvae have been found in 8 counties:
I'm sure there is more larval activity right now if you look near fields infested in 2020. Like in previous growing seasons, infested plants are first detected along field edges. Look for wilted plants and take a closer look at the base of the stem. Spilt the stem to look for larvae feeding inside.
I’ll post more real-time updates about soybean gall midge here and on Twitter (@erinwhodgson). Sign up for the Alert Network by sending an email to Justin McMechan at UNL (justin.mcmechan@unl.edu)
Erin Hodgson Professor
Dr. Erin Hodgson started working in the Department of Entomology, now the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology, 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...