The hum of drones is becoming a familiar sound above James Villegas’ soybean test plots. Entomologists like Villegas work with a variety of tools to control pests. A potential new tool is sprayer drones. Villegas is looking at ways to incorporate sprayer drones into a pest management strategy.

The researcher has gathered preliminary data comparing sprayer drones to tractor spray on a major pest of soybeans — the redbanded stink bug.

“Although our redbanded stink bugs were pretty low last year, we were able to see that using sprayer drones and tractor spray yielded similar results,” Villegas said.

This year he is working to optimize the use of spray drones, flying at different heights and at different speeds and using different nozzle types. He also is trying to determine how much wind speed the drones could tolerate and looking at the potential of pesticide drift at different wind speeds.

The drones he is using for these initial studies are small and cover a width of about 18 feet. He said to put this practice into production fields would require bigger drones with more range.

“We have already a lot of people trying to use sprayer drones, and I know that there are already several consultants using sprayer drones as part of herbicide or insecticide applications,” he said.

While one new tool is being tested, entomologists are looking at the potential of another being removed from their toolbox — acephate. AgCenter entomologist Jeff Davis always has an eye out for new products on the market and is seeing what could replace acephate if it is banned.

“Unfortunately, there’s not a lot new on the market,” Davis said. “So, we are thinking outside of the box, can we make an insecticide that is almost like a repellent. I know that sounds funny. Not that you put on yourself, but you put on your crop to try to keep them away from the beans.”

Davis said this could be a change in the paradigm. He said they shouldn’t just consider ways to kill insects, but the main goal is to keep them from damaging the plant in whatever ways possible. He said he has tested some products in the lab that seem to repel insects, but the next step would be field tests.

Another tool Villegas is investigating is silicon soil amendment. He wants to see how silicon could help soybeans tolerate insect pests, particularly the redbanded stink bug.

Davis said he didn’t see a lot of stink bugs early in the season. Some farmers were slow to plant because of rain and wet conditions, but Davis recommends early planting if possible. He also recommends planting maturity group 5 soybeans if it fits the farm.

“The pods don’t seem to form as fast. They form faster in the group 4s and that attracts the stink bugs,” he said. “So, if you can plant a soybean that pods later, it's better.”

Another project involves seeing how insects move from conservation areas on farms into crop fields. Using egg whites sprayed on conservation areas, he can test insects found in fields for the egg albumin to see if they moved from one area to another.

“We are seeing some pests move. About a third of the insects that move into the crop are pests, but two-thirds are predators, and that's more exciting. So, these areas are providing a benefit,” Davis said.

He is also monitoring the presence of the brown marmorated stink bug. It has been found in Iberville Parish but hasn’t moved from that area.

Villegas is also working on insects in corn and grain sorghum. In corn, he is looking at seed treatments and the return on investment.

“So far what we've seen is that there are some instances where seed treatments would really give a good return on your investment,” Villegas said. “But for the most instances, we're not seeing the advantage of it, especially if you do a lot of rotation in your field.”

For grain sorghum, Villegas is doing detection for sugarcane aphids. With only two products approved for aphid control, Transform and Sivanto, he wants to make sure they are still working against the insects.