–by Dr. Jeff Whitworth and Dr. Holly Schwarting
Soybeans are germinating and thus attracting the usual defoliators. Fairly neat, oval shaped holes indicate adult bean leaf beetle feeding. Ragged holes generally indicate green cloverworms, which are starting to reach larval maturity in alfalfa and may therefore move into young soybeans, after pupation, and start ovipositing eggs.
There are also numerous young grasshopper nymphs in both alfalfa and soybeans, still around the outside edges of fields. The next couple of weeks will be an ideal time to spray borders, weedy patches, grassy waterways, etc. for grasshopper control.
For more information on pest management in soybeans, please visit the Soybean Insect Management Guide: https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/MF743.pdf