Soybean Gall Midge Alert: First Adult Emergence Detected in Nebraska

By Justin McMechan

Adult soybean gall midge emergence has begun in parts of Nebraska and Iowa, signaling the start of the period when producers in high-risk areas should begin monitoring soybean growth stages and local emergence activity. Recent detections in Otoe and Lancaster counties indicate the pest is becoming active, though emergence remains limited across the region.

The first emergence of soybean gall midge for the season was observed in Otoe County on May 29, near Talmage, Nebraska (Figure 1). In Iowa, the first detection of an adult gall midge occurred on June 2 near Dexter in Dallas County. Continued adult emergence was detected at two monitoring locations in northern Lancaster County, with a single adult collected at each site on June 1. No adult emergence has been detected in South Dakota or Minnesota at this time.