Heads Up! Pest Alerts

Moths from the first generation European corn borer are active across the commonwealth. Egg laying for the second generation will be continuing for the next several weeks. In particular, growers should monitor late planted corn for corn borer egg laying. Experience with Bt corn has shown us the potential losses that can occur from late-season corn borer attack. For a guide on European corn borer scouting thresholds and decision guidelines, see ENT-49, European corn borers in corn.

Southwestern corn borer egg laying generally lags behind that of European corn borer by two to three weeks. So corn producers should expect egg laying by the first generation southwestern corn borer moths to begin shortly. The potential for harvest losses in late planted corn due to southwesterns is significant. Producers should monitor these late planted fields closely, identify the most heavily infested fields and schedule them for the earliest practical harvest to avoid these late season harvest losses.

Pepper growers will also need to manage European corn borers during the next few weeks. Insecticides for corn borer control will need to be selected carefully in order to avoid secondary outbreaks of green peach aphid and to comply with the mandatory preharvest intervals. The preharvest intervals can vary from 0 to 7 days depending on the type of insecticide used for corn borer control.

(first published in Kentucky Pest News, Number 960, July 15, 2002)

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	Original document: 17 July 2002 Last updated: 17 July 2002