Most of our pheromone trappers got their report in during this Independence Day holiday, see “Western Bean Cutworm Pheromone Trap Report.” I am still surprised at the low numbers of moths being captured. Traditionally in places, where weekly captures would be in the hundreds, only dozens are being recorded this year. Assuming this trend continues, there should be substantially less corn ear damage this season. This is NOT a call to cease efforts on scouting for egg masses and/or newly hatched larvae in high-risk areas. Concentrate sampling efforts in pre-tassel corn, especially in fields of variable growth stages.
