Insect Alert For

Corn Earworm

Risk Level:
Moderate Risk Level
Affected Area:
Full page
Alert Details

An active weather pattern will remain in place across the corn-growing region as we move into the weekend and next week. High pressure is expected to remain in place across the southeast United States while a series of low pressure systems develop in the western Plains and move northeast through the upper Midwest and into southern Canada. In between these two pressure centers, south to southwest winds and periodic shower and thunderstorm clusters will persist as will the potential for corn earworm migration. Many crops in mid-south and southern Plains source regions are past critical growth stages and are becoming unattractive to many corn earworms so movement north to more attractive fields will be possible in the next several days. Moderate risks are in place tonight into tomorrow morning mainly south of I-80 and west of US 65 in southern Nebraska, Kansas, southwest Iowa, and northwest Missouri as a weak frontal boundary pushes into the I-80 corridor today into tonight. Showers and thunderstorms are likely to line up along this boundary and should keep any migration further north very isolated. Moderate risks, however, blossom to the north and slightly east tomorrow night into Sunday morning as low pressure develops in the Plains and moves northeast, pushing a warm front well north into the upper Midwest. Moderate risks are found as far north as central Minnesota and Wisconsin during this time as well as points further south. Moderate risks continue into the extended portion of the forecast across the same general region (from Kansas and Missouri northeast into Minnesota and Wisconsin) with the risk eventually pushing into southwest Michigan and Indiana as a cold front advances southeast by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Growers all across the corn-growing region, especially those with later planted fields or processing/fresh market crops are advised to pay close attention to traps and moth activity in fields as scattered moth flights are likely or will continue in the next five days.