Scout For Soybean Gall Midge

When you are out scouting your soybean fields for aphids, spider mites and weed escapes keep an eye out for a new soybean pest, the soybean gall midge. That's all we need, another soybean insect pest to worry about! The soybean gall midge has not bee identified in our area yet, but it has been found in southwestern Minnesota. It is more prevalent in the central and southern Midwest. This insect pest has me concerned because as of yet we do not know how to control it!

The adult soybean gall midge flies lay eggs on the lower stems of the soybean plant. The larva hatch and burrow into the soybean stem. How do you kill them with an insecticide when they are inside the soybean stem? My first thought was just scout the beans and when you see the little soybean gall flies you spray with an insecticide. The problem is the soybean gall flies can be present for a long period of time requiring multiple applications?

https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2020/08/updated-video-late-season-scouting-for.html

The University of Minnesota Extension Service has producer an informative video on scouting for the soybean gall midge.