Vigorously growing plants are more tolerant of BYD than are weaker ones. Large populations of aphids usually do not appear in Ohio until later in the spring. Proper fertilization is necessary for good crop growth. Plants with nutritional stress are more susceptible and yield less if BYD is a problem. Control volunteer wheat, barley and oats.
Volunteer plants can be a problem in double-cropping systems.
These plants can serve as important reservoirs of the virus for the next crop. Contact insecticides act directly on aphids, but have short residual effect and may not last long enough to protect the field from a subsequent influx of virus-carrying aphids. Systemic insecticides are better, but require that the aphids feed on the plant and feeding may be long enough to inoculate the plant with virus. If systemic insecticides are applied before aphids reach the field, the insects may be killed before they can inoculate other plants. Some systemic insecticides have been used successfully in some states where severe BYD epidemics occur.