Growers in the midsouthern United States face numerous challenges when managing insect pests in multiple crops. Insecticide resistance makes growers’ choices more critical in terms of ensuring maximum yield potential and profitability. Most common insect pests of cotton and several pests of soybean have developed resistance to multiple classes of insecticides. Other factors that can cause poor performance of insecticides include insufficient coverage, improper timing, and adverse weather conditions. Most insecticides are sprayed from June through August, a period when unexpected afternoon showers are common. These showers are often unpredictable and can make insect management difficult. Assessing insecticide performance failures is a complicated process, and detailed counts are often needed to determine the extent of failure.
