By Ron Smith
Delta Farm Press
“Round up usual suspects.” That line from the classic movie Casablanca offers a good starting point for cotton farmers preparing for 2021 insect strategies.
Extension entomologists across the Cotton Belt say predicting insect pest infestation is at best an educated guess and at worst no more than a fool’s errand. They do name usual suspects — thrips, plant bugs, and flea hoppers, with bollworms, stink bugs, whiteflies and spider mites as potential accomplices, depending on location.