–by Dr. Jeff Whitworth
Most soybeans in north central Kansas, even double cropped fields, are getting to the stage where the pods are hardened enough to protect the beans inside (see picture of pod feeding scar by bean leaf beetles and an adult bean leaf beetle (pic1). Woollybear caterpillars (pic 2) are becoming more noticeable as the soybean leaves start to senesce, the caterpillars are getting larger and thus more visible, and as they move to the ground, looking for overwintering sites.
