Western Bean Cutworm Trapping Network
As we gear up for the 2012 season we are again looking for participants in the Western Bean Cutworm Trap Network monitoring program. Of particular need is to have more traps in Elgin and Haldimand/Norfolk County. Information on the trap network can be found on the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition website. If you would like to […]
Scout Corn Ears for Western Bean Cutworm
Some corn fields may be at risk of extended WBC feeding this fall, particularly those that were late planted or are situated where egg laying occurred over a wider window. This year in particular, we are seeing a wide range of larval sizes because of the extended egg laying period that took place across much […]
Western Bean Cutworm and Scouting in Dry Beans
It’s time to get out and scout for WBC damage in dry beans. Based on trap counts we are now confident that some counties experienced peak flight the last week of July and others the first week of August. Though I will admit that some trap sites are still catching lots of moths, especially the […]
Young Western Bean Cutworm Larvae
Some scouts are starting to notice tiny WBC larvae that have hatched that crawling in the whorl or making their way down to the ear of the plants. To help you know whether they are WBC larvae, here are some photos. You can click on them to enlarge them. They start out with spots along […]
Western Bean Cutworm Activity Increasing
Despite the heat, western bean cutworm activity is increasing. Trap catches over the past week have climbed significantly, indicating that peak flight is here or soon to be here. The counties that have accumulated the most moth catches so far include Chatham-Kent (544), Lambton (256), Middlesex (244), Huron (206), Haldimand-Norfolk (138), Essex (155) and Elgin […]
Western Bean Cutworm Action Thresholds
Many questions are starting to come in regarding WBC. Just to help clarify what the action thresholds for western bean cutworm are, here is a quick summary: In Corn: Scout 10 plants in a row in 10 areas of the field. In non-Bt corn or transgenic corn that does not provide any protection against WBC […]
Western Bean Cutworm Counts Continue to Rise
We are starting to see an increase in moth catches in our WBC trap network though we are still behind compared to last year. Last year by this week we were catching 10 moths per trap. We are not close to that yet. However, things could change quickly. Storm fronts can help bring in large […]
Western Bean Cutworm Moth Flight Has Begun in Ontario
A few of our WBC trap network participants reported catching moths in their traps last week. This is a week later than last year. Moths were found at a few trap locations scattered across the province. And more reports are coming in this week from those out checking traps during this weeks’ travels. This could […]
Call for 2011 Western Bean Cutworm Trap Participants
Anyone interested in participating in this year’s WBC Trap Network in Ontario is asked to contact us so that we can make sure that we have you on our list. If you have replied to an email from us already this month about trapping, then that is great. We’ve got you on the list already […]
Western Bean Cutworm Fact or Fiction – Fact #2 Trap Counts
Fact or Fiction #2 – “Some trap sites in 2010 were catching 1000s of moths per day!” This is completely false. At least from the data that came in to me from the 471 trap sites being monitored last year. No trap location caught more than 600 moths in ONE WEEK, let alone on a […]
Western Bean Cutworm Fact or Fiction – Fact #1
There are a few “facts” about our western bean cutworm research being delivered to growers at various meetings this month that are not correct. I am sure the reps are not intending to mislead growers but I thought it was a good time to get the correct message out there, straight from the horse’s mouth, […]
Western Bean Cutworm 2010 Trap Results for the Great Lakes Region
2010 Western Bean Cutworm Trap Results for the Great Lakes Region. Numbers indicate the average number of moths accumulated per trap by county for the 2010 season. Shaded counties reported having WBC damage. Purple counties experienced economic damage (spray required or significant feeding found). *click on map to expand* Facts […]
Western Bean Cutworm and Beans This Week
Based on scouting observations and trap counts so far, it looks like we have finally passed the peak for western bean cutworm moth activity. Egg masses are difficult to find now in corn which tells us that the moths are no longer interested in laying eggs in that crop…unless of course there is an extremely […]
New Western Bean Cutworm Scouting Video
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Western Bean Cutworm Moth Catches Climbing
Lots more WBC moths have been captured in Ontario in the last couple of weeks. We have been having some technical difficulties with our online trapping system and some participants are still not entering their trap data or site information. But from the data that we have been able to collect, I can say […]