Insect Alert For

Corn Earworm

Risk Level:
Low
Affected Area:
Full page
Alert Details

Corn earworm migration risks remain in the forecast on a daily basis across at least a portion of the corn-growing region in the next week as an active weather pattern remains in place. Initially, Low risks are focused across the eastern corn-growing region of far southeast Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio as a low pressure system moving through Missouri and Illinois keeps any southerly winds primarily across the aforementioned states overnight tonight into tomorrow morning. Rather widespread precipitation may limit the overall risk, however. By tomorrow night and into the weekend, the main corn earworm migration focus will shift back to the Plains and western Midwest as another low pressure system and associated warm front develops in the Plains. Daily shower and thunderstorm clusters will traverse from west to east along this front which should be found somewhere on either side of the I-80 corridor. Southerly winds and increasingly hot temperatures will be found south of the boundary, and some corn earworm moths may decide to fly north and drop out when they encounter precipitation. As a result, Low migration risks are in place initially across Kansas, western Missouri, southwest Iowa, and southern Nebraska tomorrow night into Friday morning, and then as far north as I-90 and east into southwest lower Michigan and northwest Indiana by the weekend. A cold front is predicted to push southeast through at least the northern and central corn-growing region late in the weekend or early next week which will end the migration threat at least for a day or so. With such an active weather pattern in place, some corn earworm moths are likely to fly north but counts should remain low as the highest population source regions across the mid-south are not expected to be tapped versus those further west.