Bruce Sundeen
This is the Sugar Beet Report, bringing you the latest information from Ndsu throughout the sugar beet growing season. The sugar beet root maggot is one guest that is not welcome in sugar beet fields, but this year, the maggot infestation may not be as intense as the last few years. Mark Boetel, NDSU extension entomologist, is here with the latest sugar beet maggot information. Mark, it’s officially summer. What’s going on with the sugar beet root maggot?

Mark Boetel
Well, populations are being monitored in a collaborative effort between, Ndsu American Crystal and the Mindat Farmers Cooperative this year. And we're monitoring 128 fields throughout the growing area. We're past peak fly activity and all areas of the valley right now. And peak probably occurred between June 12th and 17th, given various latitudes. And that's actually a very similar peaks to the historical averages. It's difficult to define when the actual true peaks occurred this year, due to the occurrence of several windy days, windy events around the time when peaks should have been occurring according to growing degree day units. That windy and stormy weather also made it difficult for growers to make insecticide applications, so those may not have been timed as optimally as we would have wanted. I’ll be looking at fields this fall, doing root injury surveys to build the forecast for this next year. And that should give us a better picture as to how well the control efforts were. But I can pretty confidently say that, overall, populations this year are significantly lower than those of the past several years.

Bruce Sundeen
Where are the hotspots this year?

Mark Boetel
The highest activity we've recorded this year occurred in the Reynolds, Auburn, Buxton, Crystal, Crookston, Cavalier and Saint Thomas areas. And then we've had moderately high activity in areas surrounding rock mento, Hoople, Sharrock, which is northeast of East Grand Forks and then Glendon and Sabin. So what's going on with the root maggot right now? Fly activities are fairly low, have subsided quite a bit according to what we observed on Wednesday. Larval feeding activity should be in full swing. So in under protected fields, we should start to see the effects of that, especially in areas. So the higher injury those fields, the plants will begin wilting and unfortunately dying, probably as temperatures warm up in the next week or so.

Bruce Sundeen
Mark, can this year's problems guide growers in making management decisions for next year?

Mark Boetel
Yes, very much so. This year's hotspots will give us a very good picture as to what to expect next year as far as where those hotspots will be. The forecast for 2025 will be based on our fly activity at levels this year, and then the root injury that will assess late summer and early fall. I will be presenting that forecast at the Winter Grower Seminars this year, and it'll also be posted online in various locations, as well as the Sugar Beet Production guide. And I would just urge growers that were affected by high populations this year that they do attend those winter seminars to get the latest information on how to deal with that for next year’s battle.

Bruce Sundeen
So you've got plot tours coming up in a few weeks. What are the details?

Mark Boetel
We're going to tour our, Saint Thomas plants, and that is going to occur July 23rd. We’ll probably have a 10:00 start all that information will be posted online at a later date. we have nine experiments there on sugar beet root, maggot control. And, USDA scientists will also be presenting their research. We'll have refreshments, and a free lunch will be served as well after the tour.

Bruce Sundeen
Mark, how can people get more information and directions to the tours?

Mark Boetel
Details and directions for the tours will be posted on the sugar beet root maggot fly count's web page. It's very easy to find if you just use keywords like Ndsu root, maggot and fly counts. You'll find it. And we'll also be, posting that at the American Crystal and Mindef websites.

Bruce Sundeen
Thanks, Mark. Our guest has been Mark Boetel, NDSU extension entomologist. This is the Sugar Beet Report, bringing you the latest information from Ndsu throughout the sugar beet growing season.