As of 8:45 a.m. Monday, June 10, all is quiet on the Alabama insect front.

Rainfall during the past week has given cotton a growth spurt. The youngest cotton is 3 to 5 true leaves and overall has little thrips injury.

Older cotton is at the 5 to 9 true leaf stage.

Many fields are between the thrips injury stage and the stage where we begin to focus on plant bugs. This window is about 7 to 10 days long.

Mid-April planted cotton already has 2-3 pinhead or larger squares and should be scouted for adult plant bugs. No aphids or spider mites have been reported.

We will be conducting scouting schools in Autaugaville (central Alabama) and Headland (Wiregrass area of southeast Alabama) this week.

In addition to cotton and soybean insects (kudzu bugs) we will also have presentations on cotton disease and resistant weed management.

Kudzu bug adults are attacking early planted soybeans in the Prattville, Tallassee and Auburn areas. At present our treatment threshold is 5 adults per plant.