Iowa soybean growers have a new threat to worry about, the soybean gall midge. The recently-discovered pest has been confirmed in 16 western Iowa counties so far and it’s destructive. Professor Erin Hodgson, an extension specialist in entomology at Iowa State University, says there are still many unknowns about the new bug and they haven’t yet confirmed its species.
Once they reach the fly stage, the midges are small — just two or three millimeters in length. They have long antennae and unusually hairy wings.
Hodgson says she can’t yet offer a practical solution to control the pest.
Eventually, there may be an adult control program but for now, there’s no good defense. She says treating seeds with insecticide does -not- appear effective in holding off the midges.
The soybean gall midge is confirmed in these counties: Buena Vista, Cass, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Fremont, Harrison, Ida, O’Brien, Page, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, Lyon, Montgomery, Shelby and Woodbury.
