By: Phillip Roberts
June 23, 2026
Jassid Update and Don’t Overlook Known Insect Pests: To date cotton jassids have been detected on cotton at very low numbers in Tift and Grady counties. Jassids have also been detected in Gadsden County Florida and Elmore County Alabama. Entomologists in the southeast are mapping jassid detections by county, current detections can be found online at https://stop2scl.org/cotton/. We have spent a lot of time looking for jassids all year in Tifton, we wanted to know when they first arrived so we can monitor populations as they build. I really appreciate everyone for sending pictures of suspected jassid nymphs, but I want to remind you that we can only identify the adult stage which has two black dots on the wings. If you see suspect jassid nymphs on cotton there will likely be early symptoms of hopperburn. We will keep county agents updated with current information regarding jassids. What does the future hold for jassids? Not sure we have an answer as we can only compare to what we observed in 2025. The first jassids were detected on okra in Seminole County on July 9, 2025. It was obvious that jassids had been in that okra for at least a generation (maybe two generations). For know we just need to keep scouting and in time we will better know what to expect. For now, I am optimistic.
Figure 1 Cotton jassids can be positively identified by the 2 black dots on the wings. We cannot positively identify nymphs. Image by Justin Odom, UGA Seminole County ANR Agent.
Speaking of scouting, we need to be actively scouting all fields for other insect pests we will likely encounter. We cannot miss a needed spray for cotton jassid, but we need to preserve yield from other pests also. Squaring cotton should be scouted for plant bugs. Historically we tend to see higher populations during squaring on early planted cotton and that appears to be happening this year in areas that typically deal with plant bugs. Sweep nets are an effective sampling tool for adult plant bugs migrating into cotton, square retention counts should also be quantified. Aphids, spider mites, and in time stink bugs and whiteflies could potentially require intervention with timely sprays. Keep scouting, use thresholds, and be timely with appropriate insecticide applications if needed.