Insect Alert For

Corn Earworm

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

An active corn-growing region weather pattern will keep corn earworm migration risks in the forecast on a daily basis right into early-mid next week. The primary focus over the next couple nights, however, will be in Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota as northwest flow across the remainder of the corn-growing region should keep migration risks negligible except in the Plains where some southerly flow will likely remain in place. As we move into the weekend and early next week, however, the risk area shifts back to the north and east and encompasses much of the corn-growing region as the next cold front drops south from Canada and the northern United States. This front will separate warm to hot weather to the south from much cooler, Canadian-origin air to the north, and precipitation is likely to become widespread along and ahead of the front late in the weekend and early next week. This precipitation could serve as an insect drop zone for any migrating corn earworms. Crop stage precludes a higher risk at this time further north, but some isolated flights could occur into the western Great Lakes region and upper Midwest by as early as Saturday night into Sunday, and from the Plains into the southern Great Lakes region by Sunday night into Monday morning and also Monday night into Tuesday morning but slightly further south (mainly along/south of I-80). A Moderate migration risk has been issued for the far southern corn-growing region from southeast Kansas into southwest and southeast Missouri, as some silking corn is now present in these areas and with a full moon expected early next week, corn earworm moths may be more apt to fly north from source regions between I-20 and I-40 into the far southern reaches of Kansas and Missouri.