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Wasps help out producers as 'greenbug exterminators'Oklahoma Recent samplings by Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service Entomologist Tom Royer show that a natural enemy of greenbugs is actively helping to control the unwanted pests. A tiny parasitic wasp, Lysiphlebus testaceipes, has been so active in a number of test plots that there is no need to spray, even though greenbug numbers have reached or exceeded treatment thresholds. "These wasps are so effective that we incorporated their activity into our Glance 'n Go sampling forms," Royer said. "Scientists, specialists and Extension educators in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas are validating the usefulness of the Glance 'n Go system for greenbugs this year." The forms can be obtained at http://ento.okstate.edu/gbweb/index.htm on the Internet. By following a few simple instructions, producers can use the Greenbug Calculator to determine an economic threshold based on the cost of treating the field and the price of wheat. "Once a threshold is determined, a scouting form can be printed and used to record the sampling results and an informed treatment decision can be made," Royer said. Greenbug treatment thresholds currently should fall around one to two greenbugs per stem or tiller because of the high price of wheat. "It's possible that a recheck may indicate the wasps have already taken care of a field's infestation, thus saving the producer the cost of an unnecessary insecticide application," Royer said. "That's good news for Oklahoma producers, many of whom have not had all that much good news in the past couple of years because of sub-par wheat crops." 4/21/08 Date: 4/16/08 Advertisement
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