Scouting Insects in Soybeans

It is important to scout soybeans for the presence of insect pests and to determine the relative number of insects present prior to making any management decisions or control recommendations.  Doing otherwise may unnecessarily increase production costs.  Soybean insects can be scouted using drop cloths and sweep nets depending upon the situation.  Each method has its limitations and benefits.  Thresholds for many soybean pests are included in the publication below, and these thresholds are typically based on the numbers of insects caught in drop cloth, sweep net, or visual samples of the plants.

Insect Control Recommendations for Field Crops (PB1768)

Soybean Scouting Form (F858)