 This is the Sugar Beet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the Sugar Beet growing season. The peak of Sugar Beet Root Maggot is behind us, but the Maggot has been busy. This year ranks the third highest flies in 20 years. Mark Botele, NDSU Extension Entomologist, has the breakdown and the hit list of insects still causing potential problems. Mark, the Root Maggot seemed to be in full force again this year. How did it turn out for the growers? Well, I think we made a little bit of progress. Populations were slightly lower. I haven't fully done the tally and compared it, but it looks like it's probably going to be in the top three in the last 15 to 20 years. We still have a pretty major problem. They peaked early this year as well. That warm May temperatures that we had when May felt like July, that got them going pretty early. That was a challenge too because there were some late planted Cherby fields that growers may have been challenged to have been able to apply insecticide at the right time. Hopefully, those late planted ones had something on at planting for adequate protection. Where were the worst problem areas this year? The Northern Valley continues to be a problem area as much as it's ever been. It's spread into Minnesota a little bit. On the North Dakota side, we had Auburn, Cavalier, Crystal, Drayton, Oakwood, St. Thomas, Voss. One on the Minnesota side up there, we had Donaldson and Oslo that were actually fairly high numbers too. Then moving farther south into the Central and then Southern Valley, Ada, the Crookston, Grand Forks, East Grand Forks area, Reynolds, and then Saban, I want to underscore that one as well, was problematic. In fact, Saban this year nearly doubled every other reporting location. It is more than just a hotspot. It is like the hotspot right now. Mark, as we've talked before, this year's MAGIT activity can help growers with management decisions for next year. Can you explain? Sure. So we know that there was decent fly activity in those locations and then we'll be sampling those as well for root injury. And so we'll be able to really pinpoint where the problems are, where we know we had survival. And so that'll help us make management decisions and provide a pretty good forecast for the growers for the 24th and growing season. And I'll be presenting that as always at the growers' seminars and it'll be available online at various locations and then also available in print in the Sugarbeet Production Guide. Mark, what pests should growers be watching for in the fields? Things to watch for right now are grasshoppers in any areas where it's been drier. A few reports of ligus bugs, grasshoppers, blister beetles as well, at least showing up in fields but rarely at treatable levels. A little bit of green clover worm as well in the southern growing areas but again no major outbreaks of really any of those pests. There are a couple of things to think about as the stage that the beets are in right now. They're pretty well established. There's a lot of foliage so they're not going to really, they can take a fair amount of foliar feeding and you're probably not going to lose much yield. The other consideration is that we're getting closer to pre-pile. We're going to think about putting on an insecticide. What's the pre-harvest interval on that? When can I harvest after I've made that insecticide application? So that's really something to watch out for. Thanks Mark. Our guest has been Mark Botel, NDSU Extension Entomologist. This is the Sugarbeet Report, bringing you the latest information from NDSU throughout the Sugarbeet growing season.