Wheat harvest is well underway and yields remain well above average. Cotton planting continues throughout the area and many fields are up to an excellent stand. Cotton ranges in growth from still in the bag to 4th true leaf stage. Thrips and jumbo grasshoppers are the primary pests right now to be scouting for in area cotton fields.

Lubber or jumbo grasshoppers are in significant numbers in Tom Green and Runnels Counties for the first time in fifteen years. Most

outbreaks are usually preceded by several years of hot, dry summers and warm falls that encourage nymphal (immature) survival. Although, rainfall has been better in the fall and winter of 2000, high numbers of grasshoppers probably survived to cause problems this spring. Grasshoppers also have a high reproductive capacity. The female grasshopper can lay an average of 200 eggs during a single season. Under favorable conditions the number rises to 400 and under poor conditions, the female can still lay 40 eggs.

Grasshopper eggs are laid ½ to 2 inches beneath the soil surface in pod-like structures. The egg pods are very resistant to moisture and cold and are affected very little by winter

conditions if the soil is undisturbed. Grasshopper egg hatches normally begin in late April to early May. The peak hatch occurs in mid-June and the hatch is usually nearing completion by late June. Peak populations occur during July and egg-laying starts again in late July. Even though it appears as if grasshoppers have multiple generations because of the extended hatch, only one generation of grasshoppers is produced per year.

Farmers and ranchers should watch for grasshoppers early in the season and start control measures while grasshoppers are still in the nymphal stage and still within hatching sites (roadsides, fence rows, etc.) The advantages of treating early include; 1) limiting the numbers of acres treated, 2) preventing grasshoppers from causing significant crop loss, 3) smaller grasshoppers being more susceptible to the insecticide and 4) limiting the number of eggs laid for next season by preventing grasshoppers from becoming adults. Products in non-cropland would include Asana®, diazinon, malathion, Orthene® and Sevin®. In pastures, producers
are limited to malation and Sevin®.

Lubber or "jumbo" grasshoppers provide their own set of problems. Field observations have indicated that populations of one per three feet of row or two per square yard in vegetation around the field can devastate a cotton stand.

Producers need to watch for these large grasshoppers along roadsides and pastures next to cotton fields. Initial control should be in those sites. Success is somewhat limited once they get into the field because the field must be retreated every 3 to 5 days.

The baits work well for the lubber grasshoppers. This grasshopper is clumsy and cannot fly so producers can take advantage of these characteristics to improve the performance of the baits. A ditch should be dug around the field approximately one foot deep. A moldboard plow or a trencher could be used. The lubbers have a difficult time crossing the ditch and tend to move laterally along the ditch once trapped. The bait should be distributed by placing a handful (use rubber gloves) every 3 to 5 feet. It is important to place the bait in clumps to provide access to the lubbers and to prevent dirt and dust from covering the bait. The bait should be refreshed every 3-5 days depending on weather and lubber grasshopper pressure.

Baits may be an option before the grasshoppers become adults. Sevin® XLR Plus has directions that include mixing 19 lbs. of wheat bran with 1qt. of Sevin® XLR Plus. Some recipes include the addition of 1 gallon of molasses. The label includes other useful information that should be read before mixing of the baits. A bait made up of 1qt. of Seven® XLR Plus, 1qt. of cotton seed oil, 1qt. of molasses, two(2) gallons of water and 20 lbs. of wheat bran was successfully tested in the San Angelo area in 1987.

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Thrips is causing problems in some areas especially theses areas where moisture conditions are short and cotton is growing slowly. A good 2" rain would do wonders right now. Producers using seed treatments or planter box treatments can expect suppression for 2-3 weeks at the most. Refer to last newsletter for thresholds, etc.

The Tom Green/Runnels County Pest Management Committee is sponsoring a scout school June 4 and 5. This is the only scout school in the state that provides both an intensive classroom and real field experience in a two-day session. The program will allow the experienced to become familiar again with scouting cotton and associated pests and economic thresholds. For first timers, the school provides an opportunity to learn about cotton insects in the field before the season gets too busy.

Cost for scout school for private industry is $50.00 for the first intern and $10.00 for each additional intern. For producers attending, the cost will be $10.00. The fee will cover sponsorship of the program plus publication costs of the education material.

The educational material will include information on cotton physiology, cotton varieties, cotton diseases and cotton insects. In addition, the material will include color photos of insect pests as well as color photos of the natural enemies present in cotton. Scout School

will be at the Texas Agricultural Extension Service in San Angelo. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. CEU credits will be given at that time. Be thinking of joining us there. Pre-registration information will be sent to you soon.

Scouts have been hired and fields are currently being located. Field scouting will begin next week. Scouts for 2001 are Casey Mund, Thomas Moeller, Jared Weant and Clay Springer. Student Technicians are John Kaczyk, Haden Keyser, and Aaron Fry.

A COMPELLING EXAMPLE of integrity concerns Theodore Roosevelt in his early years as a rancher out West. One day while Roosevelt and some of his ranch hands were rounding up stray cattle, they happened to wander onto a neighbor's property, where they found an unbranded calf. By Western tradition, the calf belonged to the neighbor, but one of Roosevelt's cowboys started to put the Roosevelt brand on the calf. Roosevelt asked why he was doing this and was told, "I always put on the boss's brand."

Enraged, Roosevelt fired the man on the spot. "A man who will steal for me," he explained, "will steal from me."

Norman R. Augustine
Augustine's Travels
Amacom

Educational programs conducted by the Texas Agricultural Extension Service serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, handicap or national origin. The information given herein is for educational purposes only. References to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Cooperative Extension Service is implied.