By Blake Jackson
The Pennsylvania Slug Project has resumed for another season through the Soybean On-Farm Network with support from the Pennsylvania Soybean Board.
Penn State Extension educators are monitoring slug populations in no-till fields across the state and sharing regular updates to help growers assess pest risks.
This year’s effort places special emphasis on the gray garden slug, with researchers working to improve predictions of spring egg hatch timing and future outbreak potential.
Farmers are encouraged to remain alert during planting, particularly when cool, wet weather creates favorable conditions for slug activity. Pennsylvania fields may host four different slug species, all of which can damage emerging crops.
Penn State researchers recommend using an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy that begins before planting.
Diverse crop rotations and cover crops can reduce slug pressure, while preserving beneficial ground beetles helps naturally suppress slug populations. Limiting unnecessary insecticide applications can also protect these natural predators.
Growers using refuge traps should consider slug bait treatments only when trap counts average one to two slugs and severe feeding injury or dying seedlings are observed. Spot treatments are generally the most cost-effective, although heavy rainfall can reduce bait performance.
The latest survey, released June 9, shows slug populations have dropped across most monitored areas, with only large juvenile gray garden slugs still present.
Most crops have outgrown early feeding damage, and only one field required replanting. As warmer temperatures continue into summer, slug activity is expected to decline further and no longer pose a significant threat.
Earlier surveys identified higher slug numbers and moderate crop injury in parts of Franklin County, while most other counties experienced relatively low populations throughout the monitoring period.
Photo Credit: istock-oticki
Categories: Pennsylvania, Crops, Soybeans, Weather