University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources

February 16, 2007

Distance education class

Managing soybean aphids — how will biological control contribute?

Biological control is one option for managing soybean aphids. Learn more about how this pests's natural enemies can become your allies during a distance education short course March 6. Sessions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (CDT) at three Nebraska sites: Hastings, UNL's ARDC near Mead and Norfolk.
Orisus insidiosus nymph
Minute pirate bug (Orisus insidiosus) attacking a soybean aphid. (Bob O'Neil, Purdue University)

Since its discovery in North America in 2000, the soybean aphid has become the major soybean insect pest in the north central area and Canada. Populations of this insect have reached relatively widespread outbreak proportions throughout the Midwest, with localized outbreaks regularly occurring in Nebraska. Widespread outbreaks cost soybean producers millions of dollars in management costs and lost yields.

Natural enemies play an important role in the regulation of soybean aphid populations. The Asian lady beetle and the minute pirate bug are two of the common predators of soybean aphids in Nebraska, but other predators, parasitoids, and pathogens also may have significant impacts. In addition, research is underway to explore the possibility of importing natural enemies from Asia and releasing them in North America. This “classical biological control” approach has been successful in other situations with invasive pest species.

On March 6 entomologists present a short course on the management of soybean aphids, with emphasis on biological control. Experts will deliver the short course via distance education technology to sites across the Midwest, including Nebraska. The general content of the program will be:

The short course is being developed for soybean producers, members of state soybean associations, agribusiness professionals (CCA CEUs will be applied for), Extension personnel and any other interested groups.

Program sites

  1. Norfolk: The UNL Northeast Research and Extension Center, Lifelong Learning Center, 601 E. Benjamin Ave., Norfolk, NE. Contact Tom Hunt at (402) 584-3863 or thunt2@unl.edu for more details and local arrangements.

  2. Hastings: Adams County Office Bldg., 300 N. St. Joseph Ave, Hastings, Assembly Room. Contact Ron Seymour at (402) 461-7209 or rseymour1@unl.edufor more details and local arrangements.

  3. Mead/Ithaca: UNL Agricultural Research Development Center, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE. Contact Bob Wright at (402) 472-2128 or rwright2@unl.edu for more details and local arrangements.

The program also can be hosted by other local or regional Extension offices, businesses or organizations. For those wishing to host the short course, registration instructions can be found at the North Central IPM Web site. Requirements for host sites are a telephone line and a method of viewing PowerPoint slides. For groups, a teleconference device for audio and a way of projecting the PowerPoint slides are recommended. Access to the Internet is not necessary; however, site coordinators will have to download the PowerPoint presentations in advance to have the files available for the programs.

This short course is funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP).

Tom Hunt
Extension Entomologist

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© 2007 by the University of Nebraska Board of Regents. All rights reserved.
Published by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources Cooperating with the counties and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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