How to Set Up Sticky Traps in a Soybean Field

Scouting to understand insect pressures should be practiced on a weekly basis starting in mid-July regardless of your crop. This will keep you informed as to the conditions of your field and help when it comes to strategy and planning for next season. For instance, in using sticky traps to monitor a soybean field you plan to plant corn into next year, you might detect above-threshold levels of western corn rootworm variant beetles indicative of risk for damage. You could use this information to make a more informed plan for that field next year that might include planting Bt-traited seed to protect against corn rootworm damage.

STEP 1

It’s best to set up sticky traps at soybean flowering and continue through full seed set (mid-July through August). Walk 100 feet inward from the edge of the soybean field and find a spot for your first trap.

Step 2

Use bicycle flags to hold your traps since they are easy to spot from a distance. Open up the sticky trap and bend it so the yellow sticky side is exposed and thread in the tie. Secure the trap on the bicycle flag about 18 inches above the soybean canopy.

Step 3

Place six traps per field at about 150-165 feet apart. Create two transect lines with three traps per line.

Step 4

The adults will be attracted to the yellow color on the traps. Come back after one week to collect the trap and put a new trap up.

Step 5

Calculate the number of beetles on each trap you collect. If it is greater than 1.5 beetles per trap per day, next year’s corn may be at risk for corn rootworm damage and planting corn with below-ground protection like SmartStax® PRO with RNAi Technology is recommended.

Lastly, remember that when it comes to above- and below-ground pests, SmartStax® PRO with RNAi Technology and Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions corn offering help protect corn, boosting your yield potential.

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