After high numbers of soybean aphids last year, Iowa agriculturalists are beginning to ask the question, “Will 2009 also be an aphid outbreak year?” Iowa State University entomologists working in soybeans have not seen enough aphid eggs on buckthorn to be alarmed. Remember, however, that aphid numbers will vary greatly from area to area and field to field. The variability in aphid numbers will not only depend on the overwintering success of aphids, but also reproduction on buckthorn in the spring, planting dates, the variety of soybeans planted, environmental conditions including temperature and rainfall, and the numbers of natural enemies
