Dectes stem borer management
Infestations of the soybean stem borer, Dectes texanus, were first reported in Edwards, Barton, Kiowa, Ford and Pawnee counties in 1985 (Buschman and Sloderbeck 2010). Borer larvae cause severe lodging problems in north-central and southwestern Kansas, where infestations of 50 to 80 % of plants with tunneling are common (Sloderbeck et al. 2003). In Republic Co., some sites have approached 100% infestation. Damaging populations are expanding westward in soybeans and more recently in sunflowers, with infestations reported in an additional 59 counties (Buschman and Sloderbeck 2010).