Black cutworm moths appear to be more active than normal, says Penn State Extension, and juvenile slugs have hatched out of their eggs in no-tilled fields.

With late planting in many areas, the small size of both soybean and corn will lead to a greater damage potential from slugs, says Ohio State University Extension.

Did you know that one in five of all known life forms on earth is a beetle? From the Tiny feather-winged beetles to the giant Titan beetle, beetles are found on every continent and have adapted to every terrestrial and fresh water ecosystem.

The cold winter has prompted farmers to ask what the influence of these temperatures might be on insect and slug populations. Hard winters will knock back some pest species, but it's difficult to generalize, and the influence of cold winter temperatures on the majority of crop pests is not very predictable.

Recently I have heard reports of slug damage to corn, soybean and sunflower.