Colorado State Hemp Insect Website

The CSU Hemp Insect Website is designed to provide hemp producers a way to recognize and to better understand the insects, mites, and other “bugs” that are associated with the “new” crop, industrial hemp, presently being grown in North America.

The kinds of insects and mites on the crop can and do vary regionally.  This site presently focuses primarily on the kinds of insects present within the High Plains/Rocky Mountain area of the western United States, particularly Colorado.  But it has broader goals and seeks to provide information on hemp entomology and insect pest management to educators, researchers and producers throughout the United States.

Beyond this home page there are five sections where more information is available:

Hemp Insect Fact Sheets.  These are short, often a single page, summaries of the insects and other arthropods encountered in hemp.  This includes insects that feed on the crop, along with common natural enemies, pollinators, and some of the incidental visitors often found on hemp, including some that originate from weeds or nearby crops.

Hemp Insect Images. In this section are multiple images of some of the more common insects found in hemp.  (Note: Many of these are also available through IPMImages.org.)

Regulations and Pesticide Use. In this section are discussions of pesticides and pesticide policies related to insect pest management in hemp. Presently pesticide use policies on hemp vary individually by state.

Got Bugs?  Individuals from anywhere on the planet are encouraged to provide photos of insects and insect injury that they find associated with hemp. With the photographer’s permission some of the more interesting and unusual photos are placed here.  Please send in your hemp insect pictures!

Recommendations.  In this section are some recommendations for managing some of the insects/mites associated with hemp.  Important Note on this section: Some recommendations contain mention of pesticides that are allowed for use in Colorado.  These products are not allowed in many other states at present.

Note: This website is limited to insect issues involving hemp, defined as Cannabis grown for seed, fiber, or non-THC pharmaceutical products.  This is not a forum for marijuana. Industrial hemp means a plant of the genus Cannabis and any part of the plant, whether growing or not, containing a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentration of no more than three-tenths of one percent (0.3%) on a dry weight basis.

Comments? Corrections? Suggestions?

Please send any questions that can help improve this website to:

Whitney.Cranshaw@colostate.edu

Acknowledgements

This website is being developed and managed by Melissa Schreiner and Whitney Cranshaw, Department of Agricultural Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

Funding for this project has been provided, in part, by the Western Region IPM Center and the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station.

Read our newest publication in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management!