Insect Alert For

Corn Earworm

Risk Level:
Low
Affected Area:
Full page
Alert Details

An active weather pattern is predicted across much of the corn-growing region this week and potentially into next weekend as well. With a more southwesterly flow predicted, at times, corn earworm migration probabilities are on the increase this week. Growers with crops at susceptible stages to damage, especially across the upper Midwest and into the Great Lakes region, should prepare now for potential corn earworm moth flights in the week ahead. Low risks are in place tonight across Kansas, Nebraska, western/central Iowa, and northern/western Missouri as low pressure organizes across the Plains states and as southerly winds increase across the risk area. This same low pressure system is predicted to deepen fairly rapidly as it moves northeast from the Plains into the upper Midwest tomorrow and tomorrow night. With high pressure moving off to the eastern United States, southerly winds are expected to increase rather dramatically across portions of the middle and upper Mississippi River valley tomorrow afternoon and continue into tomorrow night and Wednesday to the east of a trailing cold front. Precipitation is also expected to become pretty common, at least on a scattered basis, along and east of the cold front which may serve as insect drop zones for any migrating insects. Given these factors, as well as a growing moth population in portions of the southern Midwest and mid-south regions, Moderate corn earworm migration risks in anticipation of the potential for scattered but locally intense corn earworm flights is in the forecast tomorrow night into Wednesday morning across eastern Iowa, northern and central Illinois, far southeast Minnesota, central and southern Wisconsin, southwest lower Michigan, and northwest Indiana. Low risks extend as far east as the I-75 corridor in eastern lower Michigan and western Ohio. Moderate risks continue to the east of I-69 and US 127 in northeast Indiana and eastern lower Michigan as well as northern Ohio and southwest Ontario, Canada Wednesday night into Thursday morning as the cold front moves east. Another low pressure system and cold front are predicted to move through the corn-growing region late in the week and into next weekend, and Moderate risks are already in the forecast across the eastern Plains and upper Midwest by that time. Growers with crops at susceptible stages to damage are advised to monitor subsequent forecasts this week for the latest information.

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