Last week I was scouting for alfalfa weevil larvae in a field near Ames and was reminded of the fact that alfalfa harbors a tremendous number of insects, some of which are pests but most are not. The first cutting of alfalfa is occurring in many fields across the state this week, but other fields are still standing. As these fields are scouted, you may be curious about the identification of the insects in the sweep net. This article briefly discusses the identification and pest status of first-cutting alfalfa insects I found; however, this list is not exhaustive and other insect species may occur in your alfalfa.