There has been an abundance of Corn Earworm (Helicoverpa zea) moths near fresh market corn in Linn County, which affects the average, but all other sites remain low to normal. Timing is closely associated with crop development (moths appear at silk and lay eggs), so we keep a close eye on CEW for the coming weeks. Also, we are in the process of reviewing long term activity data that may help to improve degree-day models for this region.
The Oregon IPM Center is collaborating on a survey for Western Corn Rootworm. The research effort is led by Iowa State University, and includes Extension educators, field crop specialists, and ag industry representatives in 13 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces. More info available here.
Black Cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) counts remain lower than historically normal levels. Although sweet corn plantings are likely past the sensitive stage, remember that black cutworm also feeds on tomatoes and other garden crops.
This smaller table shows the average of all sites (2023AVE) for the specified time period and how it compares to our long-term average (LTAVE) from data collected in this region between 1996 and 2012. Corn earworm is higher due only to an outbreak at fresh market corn field near Albany (ALBN.1 on main table).
