Source: Dominic Reisig, NCSU COOPERTIVE EXTENSION, 3/30/21


I noticed a couple dogwoods blooming this morning, which reminded me to check local temperatures for cereal leaf beetle development. Insect growth can be tracked using fairly simple temperature-based models. Based on the temperatures in Plymouth, NC, tomorrow (March 30) should be the time of peak egg-lay for cereal leaf beetle. Peak larval densities follow (on average) 17.7 days later, corresponding to April 17th. I ran the model for Statesville, and peak egg-lay should lag Plymouth by nearly two weeks. This tracks very similar (but a little behind) to the 30-year average.

Once peak egg-lay occurs, many fields will need only a single scouting for eggs and larvae. Wait about a week following the peak egg lay. If the proportion of eggs in the sample is 50% or greater then sample again in 5-7 days.

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