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Corn
Volume 61 Number 4 Date 05/19/2016 BLACK CUTWORM - Development of this insect has slowed in response to below-normal temperatures over the past two weeks. Larvae from migrants that arrived in mid- to late April are mostly in the second and third instars, and are expected to grow large enough to begin cutting corn plants next week. Another large weekly capture of 337 moths was documented during the May 12-18 reporting period, signaling that oviposition should intensify as soon as weather conditions are conducive to moth activity. The annual migration that was first documented on March 29 has yielded 1,725 moths in 43 traps to date, or an average of 40 per trap. This count is substantially higher than the 272 moths in 44 traps that had been collected by this time last year and indicates an elevated risk of localized cutworm problems this season. EUROPEAN CORN BORER - Degree day accumulations in advanced southwestern and western locations have reached the 374 units (modified base 50°F) required for corn borer flight to start. Black light trap contents should be carefully examined in the next two weeks to ensure the earliest emerging moths are not overlooked. -- Krista Hamilton, DATCP Entomologist 
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