Author: Francis P. F. Reay-Jones

European Corn Borer Management in Field Corn

May 28, 2026 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn, IPM

Introduction Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner, the European Corn Borer (ECB), was a major pest of field corn in the United States for many years after its introduction in the early 1900s.1 Yield losses and...

Common Soil Pests of Corn in the Southeastern United States

May 20, 2026 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn, IPM

Introduction Corn rootworms, seed corn maggot, wireworms, and white grubs are co-occurring soil insect pests of corn. The immature stages of each of these pest species are subterranean, allowing...

Management Strategies for Hessian Fly in Wheat

Sep 16, 2024 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops

Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) is one of the most important pests of small grain crops in the United States and worldwide. In addition to little barley (Hordeum pusillum) being the only...

Stink Bugs as Pests of Cotton

Jun 5, 2023 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Cotton, IPM

Several species of stink bugs are pests of cotton in the southeastern United States, including southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula, green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris (formerly Acrosternum...

Identification and Management Strategies for Cutworms as Pests in Field Corn

Apr 12, 2023 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn

Introduction Cutworms are sporadic but serious early-season pests of corn in the United States. Several species of cutworm can feed on a broad range of plants, including vegetables, turf, field...

Insect Pests of Alfalfa in the Southeastern United States

Jul 15, 2022 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Forages, Horticulture, IPM, Livestock, Livestock and Forages

This publication provides information about important insect pests of alfalfa in South Carolina and surrounding states in the southeastern United States. Descriptions of the insect pests, scouting...

Japanese Beetle as a Pest of Field Corn

Feb 14, 2022 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn

Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is a generalist pest capable of feeding on over 300 different plant species, many of which are of economic importance.1 One of the main crops that Japanese beetle...

Managing Insect Pests in Field Corn using Transgenic Bt Technology

Jan 3, 2022 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn

Much of the field corn produced in the United States expresses an insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that helps the plant control or suppress insect pests without the need for...

Corn Earworm as a Pest of Field Corn

Jul 21, 2021 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn, IPM

Corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, is the most common aboveground pest of corn in the southeastern United States.1 It is also a significant pest of many other cultivated crops in the Southeast,...

Headworms as Pests of Grain Sorghum

Dec 9, 2020 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn

Several species of lepidopteran larvae can infest and cause injury to sorghum grain heads. These include corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, and sorghum webworm,...

Best Management Practices for Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Cotton

Oct 23, 2020 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Cotton, IPM

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are the most consistent and predictable insect pests of Upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., in South Carolina and much of the southeastern United States. These...

Sugarcane Beetle as a Pest of Corn

Jul 9, 2020 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Corn

The sugarcane beetle, Euetheola humilis, is a sporadic but serious pest of corn in the southeastern United States.1,2 It was previously known as the rough-headed corn stalk-beetle and was first...

Insecticide Resistance: Overview and Management

May 19, 2020 | Agronomic Crops, Cotton, Horticulture

The development of insecticide resistance in insects is common and widespread today. The long-term efficacy of insecticides is critical for successful and sustainable food and fiber production and...

Integrated Pest Management: Concepts and Strategies

May 1, 2020 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops, Horticulture, IPM

This publication provides an overview of the basic concepts of integrated pest management (IPM) to aid in management decision-making. As an introduction to IPM, the intended audience of this article...

Tobacco Hornworm as a Pest of Tobacco

Mar 6, 2020 | Agriculture, Agronomic Crops

Introduction The tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta, THW) is a pest of a number of plants in the Nightshade family (Solanaceae), including tomato, tobacco, eggplant, pepper, and potato. Because of the...