During the middle of May, numerous fields in the southern tier of counties were attacked by an uncommon Iowa insect, the southern corn leaf beetle. Tracy Cameron, agronomist with Crestland Cooperative in Creston, reported several fields were heavily defoliated by this insect and sprayed with insecticides. By the time most of you read this article, there will probably no longer be a problem. However, the southern corn leaf beetle has been a fairly persistent pest during the 1990s in Illinois according to Kevin Steffey, extension entomologist, University of Illinois.