Insect Alert For

Corn Earworm

Risk Level:
Low
Affected Area:
Full page
Alert Details

An active week of weather is predicted for a good portion of the corn-growing region. As a result, corn earworm migration risks are rather abundant in the forecast especially for the next three days but also as we move into next weekend. Moth populations have increased in the past week or so, on average, and are becoming more active in source regions across the mid-south. Crops are still attractive to corn earworm moths in those areas, so the overall threat of widespread, higher population flights is still limited. Nonetheless, elevated risks are in the forecast by Thursday night into Friday morning as a seasonably strong cold front moves through much of the corn-growing region. Low risks are in place tonight into tomorrow morning ahead of a weaker cold front from Kansas into eastern Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, far southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, and Illinois. Primarily isolated moth flights will be possible into this area. Low risks remain in the forecast mainly west of I-65 in Indiana and south of I-90 from South Dakota into Minnesota and Wisconsin tomorrow night into Thursday morning as the front washes out and southerly winds remain in place. A better setup for potentially scattered moth flights is in the forecast Thursday night into Friday morning as a stronger cold front and southwest winds to its east move into the picture. Moderate risks are predicted from southeast Missouri into central and eastern Illinois, Indiana, western Kentucky, far western Ohio, and extreme southern lower Michigan with Low risks as far west as the Mississippi River and east to near the Appalachian Mountains. A brief break in the migration risk is then predicted Friday night into Saturday morning, but southerly winds are likely to return to the Plains already by the weekend, so Low risks are back in the forecast mainly west of US 65 by Saturday night into Sunday morning.