Every spring, dozens of cooperators throughout the state put forth considerable effort in trapping for the arrival and intensity of black cutworm moths. I’m personally indebted to these faithful bug counters, hoping you also appreciate their efforts as reported in the “Black Cutworm Adult Pheromone Trap Report.” If you recognize a name or two on this list of reporters, by county, please thank them from afar…while adhering to social distancing!
This year’s average trap catches, compared to the previous four, looks just like 2019, rather mediocre. However, within these averages are many intensive moth captures over the six weeks of monitoring, many reporting the most they had ever captured. Presumably, this tells us that the moths were well distributed throughout the state during their arrival. This is one piece of important information, as we now track larval development, and follow-up with scouting in high-risk fields! See the accompanying heat unit map for black cutworm development in your area. 300 accumulated heat units (50°F base), after intensive captures, could indicate black cutworm cutting to plants. Happy scouting!
