Setup timing:

Most years ECB, CEW, and FAW traps should be set up by mid-May, especially in areas where season extension practices are common.  WBC traps should be set up during the first week of June.  Details about trap placement are in the fact sheet linked below or you can watch this video.

Reporting:

All cooperators please report numbers to Marion Zuefle (mez4@cornell.edu, 315-787-2379) by 5:00 PM on Tuesdays.

ENY cooperators please also post numbers on PestWatch and report to your growers in your weekly pest update.

Trapping Protocols for ECB, CEW, and FAW

Pheromone Traps-Effective Tools for Monitoring Lepidopterous Insect Pests of Sweet Corn: fact sheet that outlines protocols for setting up and monitoring traps

Western Bean Cutworm Sampling Protocol

Keith Waldron, Field Crops IPM Coordinator

What you will need: (Sources of equipment will be provided later in this document.)

Green bucket traps (also known as unit or universal traps) will be used to trap male moths.  These are the same traps used for trapping black cutworm and fall armyworm.

Western bean Cutworm pheromone lures, replaced every two weeks,

Insecticidal strips, which are placed in the traps and kill the moths when they enter.

Procedure:

• Please hang traps by 1 June.  Traps should remain deployed for 12 weeks.
• Position the trap in a convenient and accessible location along the edge of a corn field (either field corn or sweet corn).  Keep the traps at least 30 ft from a hedgerow or woodlot—such habitats could be repellent to the moths.
• Hang trap from a stake so that the trap is approximately four feet off the ground.
• Trap should hang freely with stiff wire (like a section of a coat hanger) so that they do not move much in the wind.  When traps are hanging they should be as straight up and down as possible to keep water from getting in the side.
  • Place pheromone lure in compartment in the basket in top of the trap
    • Replace lure every two – three weeks
  • Unwrap insecticidal strip (Vaportape) and hang from bottom of pheromone compartment.  An unfolded paperclip can work well for this (poke hole in strip to hang it). Alternatively the vaportape can be fixed to the side of the bucket with duct tape.
    • Vaportape should not be handled with bare hands (use gloves or forceps)
    • One vaportape strip should last for the duration of the project, but replace it if you feel it is becoming less effective.

• Please check the traps once a week.  Because we are monitoring for an insect of unknown distribution, we may record a lot of zeros.
• Data will be summarized weekly and be available at: the NYS IPM Program’s Sweet Corn Monitoring network, the Weekly Field Crop Pest Report and Penn State’s Pest Watch websites.
• The great majority of the moths attracted to the traps should be western bean cutworm moths. By-catch has been minimal, although some traps have also caught a few yellow striped armyworm and dingy cutworm moths. See: WBC fact sheet

Details of products used:

• Bucket or unit/universal traps: available from Great Lakes IPM (universal moth traps, Green Universal Trap: IPS-G004 $ 9.95 ea., 12/cs IPS-G004-12 $ 114.00).  Also available from Gemplers and other outlets.
• Pheromone lure: Available in smaller quantities or bulk from Great Lakes IPM (Scentry WBC Replacement lure: SC-WBCW L206 $ 1.80 ea. $ 20.95 12/cs) and other outlets. Scenturion western bean cutworm lure bought in bulk from Suterra.
• Insecticidal strips: HERCON Vaportape purchased in larger quantities directly from Hercon (Item #100311); also available in smaller numbers from Gemplers and Great Lakes IPM