By Katie Pratt LEXINGTON, Ky., (July 6, 2012) – Hot, dry weather
could have some insects feeding in greater-than-normal numbers
on crops like alfalfa, tobacco and some vegetables. “Alfalfa,
with its long tap root, will stay greener and more succulent
during a drought than pasture grasses or field crops,” said Lee
Townsend, extension entomologist in the University of Kentucky
College of Agriculture. “That makes alfalfa attractive to most
any insect that can use it, even if the bug normally doesn’t eat
alfalfa. Also, irrigated tobacco and vegetables will be very
attractive to insects like grasshoppers and stink bugs under
these dry conditions.” For alfalfa, the potato leafhopper is
often a major pest during the summer. Producers may overlook
this tiny insect, because the first indication that this pest is
present is the appearance of wedge-shaped yellow areas on the
tips of leafs. Diseases and nutritional deficiencies may cause
similar yellowing but of whole leaves or entire plants. Stands
seeded this past spri