NY Sweet Corn Trap Network Report 8.27.19

Thirty sites reporting this week. European corn borer (ECB)-E was caught at six sites and ECB-Z was caught at eight sites. Sixeen sites reported corn earworm (CEW), with thirteen high enough to be on a 4, 5, or 6 day spray schedule (see table at bottom of post). Fall armyworm (FAW) was caught at eighteen sites and Western bean cutworm (WBC) was caught at twenty-three sites this week.

Where CEW are being caught in high enough numbers to drive the spray schedule, the other worm pests should also be controlled. Where FAW are being caught, a tassel emergence scout is still a good idea, as some years we see heavy FAW infestations in the emerging tassels in late plantings that may have time to get into developing ears before silk sprays for CEW. At locations where CEW numbers are still low, scout tassel emergence and silk stage fields for ECB and FAW larvae. Use a threshold of 15% infested plants in tassel emergence stage fields and 5% in silk stage fields.

Location ECB-E ECB-Z CEW FAW WBC DD 86/50
Accord (Ulster Co.) 0 0 6 2 0 2338
Amsterdam (Fulton Co.) 0 0 13 0 5 1961
Athens (Greene Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 2178
Attica (Wyoming Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1925
Avon (Livingston Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1946
Baldwinsville (Onondaga Co.) 0 0 6 16 3 1964
Basom (Genesee Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 2041
Batavia (Genesee Co.) 0 0 0 2 5 1966
Bellona (Yates Co.) 0 0 15 18 3 2012
Carlton (Orleans Co.) 0 0 0 2 7 1903
Eagle Bridge (Washington Co.) 2 1 1 0 0 1958
Eden (Erie Co.) 0 0 1 65 6 2004
Farmington (Ontario Co) 0 0 0 0 0 2045
Feura Bush (Albany Co.) 0 0 60 2 9 2179
Florida (Orange Co.) 2 1 52 20 6 2418
Geneva (Ontario Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1991
Greenwich (Washington Co.) 0 0 6 0 5 1996
LeRoy (Genesee Co.) 1 1 41 36 5 1922
Hurley (Ulster Co.) 0 2 8 0 1 2217
Kennedy (Chautauqua Co.) 0 3 1 14 1 1924
Kinderhook (Columbia Co.) 0 1 50 20 4 2190
King Ferry (Cayuga Co.) 0 0 0 8 1 1904
Kirkville (Madison Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1981
Lyndonville (Orleans Co.) 0 0 0 21 74 1901
New Paltz (Ulster Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 2384
Oswego (Oswego Co.) 0 0 NA 4 2 1701
Owego (Tioga Co.) 0 0 0 0 0 1982
Penn Yan (Yates Co.) 0 0 0 0 1 1951
Peru (Clinton Co.) 0 0 0 0 22 1873
Plattsburgh (Clinton Co.) 0 0 3 10 99 1922
Plessis (Jefferson Co.) 0 2 0 0 7 1845
Portville (Cattaraugus Co.) 1 0 0 3 0 1828
Preble (Cortland Co.) 0 0 0 0 8 1649
Ransomville (Niagara Co.) 1 0 2 19 5 2007
Schaghticoke (Rensselear Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 2129
Seneca Castle (Ontario Co.) 4 2 0 0 1 1943
Sharon Springs (Schoharie Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1906
Sherwood (Cayuga Co.) 0 0 0 33 0 1916
South Colton (St. Lawrence Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1621
Stone Ridge (Ulster Co.) 0 0 3 NA NA 2202
Tivoli (Dutchess Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 2311
Unadilla (Delaware Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1711
Williamson (Wayne Co.) NA NA NA NA NA 1797
ECB – European Corn Borer
CEW – Corn Earworm
FAW – Fall Armyworm
WBC – Western Bean Cutworm
NA – not available
DD – Degree Day (base 86/50) beginning January 1st Climate Smart Farming
trap catches for the week of 8.20.19 – 8.27.19



Dry Bean Western Bean Cutworm Alert
8.27.19
Marion Zuefle, NYS IPM Program
(Alert modified from Carol McNeil)
(Information and photos from T. Baute, OMAFRA)

This year we are monitoring eight WBC traps placed next to dry bean fields. The location of the traps are given in the image below. Dry bean growers should scout adjacent corn for WBC eggs and larvae when cumulative trap catch reaches 50 moths. Avoca H, Avoca W, South Caledonia, Stafford and Wayland have all reached >50 cumulative moth trap catch and nearby corn should be scouted for egg masses and damage. Peak WBC flight historically occurs the last week of July into early August but seems to be delayed by a few weeks this year. All dry bean growers should begin scouting pods for WBC feeding about 10 days after peak flight regardless of cumulative trap catch, and should continue to scout for three weeks, especially if damage has been seen in recent years.

Check 10 random spots in a field, 5 plants per spot. Inspect all the pods on the plants looking for holes. Surface feeding can be caused by other insects. WBC will mine directly into the pod and will often feed on the seed inside. European corn borer will also feed inside the pod and would most likely still be present (see image below). Slugs will also feed on the pods causing similar damage, but will often leave a slime trail (image below). If there is damage going directly into the pod and seed but no larva present, it is quite possibly WBC. During the day WBC larva are not actively feeding in the pod, instead they drop to the soil and will remain there until night. Fresh damage will be green, not brown.

If you have questions contact Marion Zuefle at mez4@cornell.edu or 315-787-2379.

This project is funded by the NYS Dry Bean Industry.

2019 WBC trap locations.

Location of WBC traps near Dry Beans in 2019.

Dry Bean Location 7.23.29 7.30.19 8.6.19 8.13.19 8.20.19 8.27.19 Cumulative WBC
Avoca H (Steuben Co.) 37* 37* 69 11 1 0 156
Avoca W (Steuben Co.) 19* 19* 36 25 12 0 101
Caledonia South (Livingston Co.) 0 44 20 14 14 12 104
Caledonia Southwest (Livingston Co.) 11 8 10 13 5 4 51
Geneva (Ontario Co.) 2 10 1 13 19 0 45
Riga (Monroe Co.) 17 61 80 83 62 14 317
Stafford (Genesee Co.) 5 28 23 23 15 9 103
Wayland (Steuben Co.) 40.5* 40.5* 73 108 31 21 319
Western Bean Cutworm trap counts by date
NA – not available
* traps not checked on 7/23, therefore two week total divided over the two weeks