Insect Alert For

Western Bean Cutworm

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

Western bean cutworms continue to emerge and progress through their annual flight in select areas of the corn-growing region. Not all fields are seeing western bean cutworm pressure this year, but there are areas that are seeing rather high pressure with high moth presence and egg laying. High risks remain across northern Indiana where moth counts remain high and where active egg laying and hatching is ongoing in crops at critical growth stages. Moderate risks also continue in the forecast across northern Kansas and much of Nebraska as well as western Iowa where scattered high moth counts and egg laying persist. Additional Moderate risk areas are in Wisconsin where the moth flight is likely entering its peak now but where moth counts, as a whole, are not as high in comparison to previous years or other regions of the Midwest. Moderate risks continue across the northern half of Indiana and northern Ohio and have been expanded further north into southern lower Michigan where moth activity should pick up in the next week. Low risks remain across much of the Great Lakes region and into southeast Canada. So far, moth captures in Canada are much lower than previous years so only Low risks are predicted in these areas but counts will be monitored closely. Growers are advised to monitor not only moth counts but also egg laying/hatching in fields and take appropriate action, if necessary, where threshold values are exceeded and where crops are at susceptible stages to damage.