Orange maggots swarm into northeast Kansas farm fields
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – An insect expert with Kansas State University is warning farmers to be on the lookout for a new threat that is devouring crops in northeast Kansas this year.
Anthony Zukoff, an entomologist with K-State, said in a press release from K-State’s Research and Extension Office the soybean gall midge is causing problems for soybean farmers in two northeast Kansas counties. The pest can make life difficult for soybean farmers, potentially devastating production of the important Kansas crop.
“After several years of Nebraska counties on the Kansas line having infestations, soybean gall midge finally showed up in northeast Kansas — in Nemaha and Marshall counties — last year,” Zukoff said.
The soybean gall midge appears as a tiny fly which lays eggs in soybean fields. The eggs lead to maggots which begin feeding on soybean stems.
“Their maggots consume tissue inside the stems of the plants, and this leads to severe lodging (plants falling over) and outright plant death,” Zukoff said.
Warm weather pushes snakes into Kansas homes
Initially, the insects start at the field’s edge before moving deeper into the field. In some instances, this could lead to complete crop loss in some fields depending on the extent of the soybean gall midge’s presence.
Zukoff recommends soybean farmers keep an eye on their fields for wilting soybean plants as this could be a sign of the pest’s presence among their crops. Swollen and darkened stems at the base of the plant, wilting and dark coloration could point to the presence of maggots in the soybean.
“If you do see some maggots, especially if they’re bright orange, reach out to your local extension professionals because early detection for this pest is really important,” Zukoff said.
Zukoff said soybean gall midges appear as “small, gnat-like flies that are just a couple millimeters long.” The insects are usually bright orange with mottled wings and striped legs. Maggots appear as a cream color initially before turning bright orange.
No practical insecticide recommendations exist to combat the spread of this pest as they are a relatively new threat to farmers. However, Zukoff does have a few recommendations for fighting back.
When do cicadas emerge in Kansas?
“If you have a field that’s been infested very heavily next to a field that you want to plant, you might consider not planting near those fields,” Zukoff said. “You can also rotate to a different crop for a growing season or two.”
Zukoff encourages people concerned with the spread of the soybean gall midge to follow the Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network for updates on the problem. You can learn more about this resource by clicking here.
For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.
Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News.
