Tracking the western bean cutworm moth flight wouldn’t be possible without the many pheromone trap cooperators in our network, see following “Western Bean Cutworm Pheromone Trap Report.” To those volunteers, we are so grateful! Please thank any of those cooperators that you may know for their efforts in helping us track this pest.
In looking at a comparison of the 5-year moth captures (see graph below), there were plenty of moths flying the third week of July (week 5 of trapping), same as last year. At that time, we were getting reports of egg masses and being found on pre-tassel corn. Since then, no reports of larval ear infestations have been received from northern Indiana counties, where risks are greatest. Hopefully, the delayed moth emergence, likely due to a cool spring, is good news for the 2020 corn crop!
Bryan Overstreet, trapping cooperator, checking for larval ear feeding.
