Corn Rootworm
Initial corn rootworm hatch possibilities will continue to increase in spatial coverage this week as temperatures warm and rainfall, in general, remains rather light or spotty. These conditions, if realized, will allow soil temperatures to continue to increase, leading to a greater chances for corn rootworms to hatch in areas where accumulated heat units are supportive. For the next day or so, corn rootworm hatches focus from eastern Missouri into central/southern Illinois and east into western and central Indiana. By later tomorrow into next weekend, however, the initial hatch risk region increases from the southeastern half or so of Kansas into far southeast Nebraska, extreme southern Iowa, northern Missouri, additional areas of central and eastern Illinois, Indiana, and into far western Ohio. Growers in these geographies should begin looking for small larvae in the coming week to ten days especially in areas where rainfall has not been quite as heavy and/or where corn rootworms have been an issue in the past few years.