CURRENT CROP CONDITIONS
Recent rains and hot temperatures have sent the area cotton into overdrive. Cotton is ranging from squaring with 8 total nodes to cotyledonary stage. Just as a reminder, producers with five true leaves or more need to discontinue your glyphosate applications unless a shielded sprayer is being used.

WHAT THE SCOUTS ARE FINDING
The scouts are finding fleahopper adults, lygus bug adults, and very few beet armyworms and false chinch bugs. False chinch bugs are moving out of areas with heavy tansey mustard infestations and are feeding on and killing the first few rows of adjacent cotton. With thrips still present in most of these fields, I am using Orthene (3 oz/a broadcast) on field margins with excellent results.

COTTON FLEAHOPPER AND LYGUS BEING FOUND IN AREA FIELDS
Although we are not finding many of these pests in area fields, we are seeing an increase in theirpopulations. As of this time, only the adults are being found. (Lygus spp.), are more reliably sampled using a drop cloth. The drop cloth method uses an off-white cloth measuring 36 x 42 inches (on 40 inch rows). Staple a thin strip of wood, approximately 1 inch wide, to each short side of the cloth. Select a random site in the field and unroll the cloth from one row over to the next row. Mark off 18 inches on each row bordering the cloth and vigorously shake all the plants within that area. Two 1.5 row-foot sections (3 feet total) will be sampled simultaneously for insects. Count the number of lygus bug adults and nymphs that fall on the cloth. Repeat the process in at least 20 locations in the field (60 feet of row sampled).

Adult lygus are 1/4 inch long, have a conspicuous triangle in the center of the back, are winged and vary in color from pale green to yellowish brown with reddish brown to black markings. Immature lygus bugs are called nymphs. They are uniformly pale green with red-tipped antennae; late instars have four conspicuous black spots on the thorax and one large black spot near the base of the abdomen. The nymph's wings are not developed, but nymphs can move rapidly and are difficult to detect in cotton foliage.

During the first week of squaring, the economic threshold is 1 lygus bug adult or nymph per three feet of row combined with less than 90 percent square set. In the second week of squaring, the economic threshold is 1 lygus bug adult or nymph per three feet of row combined with less than 85 percent square set.

In the third week of squaring, the economic threshold is 1 lygus bug adult or nymph per three feet of row combined with less than 75 percent square set. After the third week of squaring, the economic threshold is 2 lygus bug adults or nymphs per three feet of row with less than acceptable fruit retention.

Adult fleahoppers are about 1/8 inch long and pale green. Nymphs resemble adults but lack wings and are light green. They move very rapidly when disturbed. Adults move into cotton from weed hosts when cotton begins to square. Both adults and nymphs suck sap from the tender portion of the plant, including small squares. Pinhead size and smaller squares are most susceptible to damage.

The decision to apply insecticide should be based on the number of fleahoppers present, the squaring rate and the percent square set. If conditions are conducive for the rapid build up of cotton fleahoppers in alternate hosts, then scouting intervals should be shortened. During the first week of squaring, the economic threshold is 25 to 30 cotton fleahoppers per 100 terminals combined with less than 90 percent square set. In the second week of squaring, the economic threshold is 25 to 30 cotton fleahoppers per 100 terminals combined with less than 85 percent square set. Starting with the third week of squaring up to first bloom, the economic threshold is 25 to 30 cotton fleahoppers per 100 terminals combined with less than 75 percent square set.