As sunflower fields begin to bloom, the National Sunflower Association says adults of red sunflower seed weevil (RSSW) will be emerging and will fly to the nearest flowering sunflowers. RSSW are small (2.5 to 3.1 mm long) with a snout and are reddish-orange. It’s also time to scout for banded sunflower moth (BSM), Arthuri sunflower moth (ASM) and sunflower head moth (SHM).
Once the decision to treat has been made, it is critical to time the spray application correctly to get effective management of all sunflower head insects, including RSSW, BSM, ASM, SHM and Lygus bug. The best sunflower plant stage to treat is when the majority of plants are in the R5.1 growth stge.
Visit www.sunflowernsa.com/growers/Insects/ to read more about scouting for insects and the best treatments. To see the insecticides registered in sunflower, visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/publications/crops/north-dakota-field-crop-insect-management-guide.
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