We are back for the third year of our multi-state project to monitor slugs in Ohio, funded by the United Soybean Board. This year we are expected to have a total of 27 counties participating, which will be our highest number of counties since starting the project in 2024. Similar to previous years, the goal of this project is to have a better understanding of slugs in soybean in states across Ohio and our region. We are also excited to announce that with the help our collaborators, and funding from the United Soybean Board and Ohio Soybean Council, we were able to publish a “Slug Biology and Management” card that can be viewed here: “Slug_Biology_and_Management”.
Slugs are a concern for growers in Ohio because growers, especially those with no-till fields where cover crops are grown. Slug numbers are increasing and evidence of plant damage resulting from slugs is becoming more common. Slugs may not be noticeable at first because they are a nocturnal pest, meaning they feed at night the majority of time. We also tend to find slugs feeding on cloudy or rainy days. Both of these situations are not ideal for scouting, so slugs are often missed until the damage is noticeable. The slugs feed directly on soybeans causing both seed and foliar damage that can result in complete loss of the plant (Figure 1).
In order to monitor, each field will be using shingle traps. This year, we have decided to set our traps out in mid-April to try and catch the beginning of slugs in the fields. Shingle traps consist of a 1-sq.ft. white roofing shingle secured to the ground with tent stakes and are known to provide a refuge for slugs to hide under during daylight. Each week, traps are checked in the morning by lifting the shingle and counting the number of adult and juvenile slugs underneath each trap. The data collected from this study will allow us to have a better understanding of the slug variations in Ohio and across the region.
For our first report covers monitoring from April 20th to 26th. During this time, we had 18 counties monitoring a total of 144 shingle traps. Because we set our traps much earlier this year, we expect to have low numbers at this time – which is what we saw. Only one slug was found over the past week and it was in Washington County. As the temperatures warm up a bit, and farmers start planting we expect to see slug numbers increase, so stay tuned for slug updates over the next few weeks!
Additional Author: Hannah Houser