Black Cutworm Monitoring 2014: We Need Your Help!

Black cutworm moths are blown into Iowa with spring storms each year. The moths lay eggs in crop fields and emerging black cutworm larvae cut seedling corn (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2). However, black cutworms are sporadic pests and scouting is essential to determine if management is necessary. To make scouting easier, the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program at Iowa State University coordinates an annual monitoring network that uses moth trap captures and temperature data to estimate when farmers are most likely to see larvae in their fields

2014 Crop Scouting Competition Open to High School Students

The Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management Program is pleased to present the fourth annual Crop Scouting Competition for Iowa youth. It will be held in central Iowa on August 5. The theme for this year is Crop Scouting Innovations and will include both indoor and outdoor events. Teams of high school students (those completing grades 9-12) from across Iowa are invited to compete

2012 Western Bean Cutworm Cooperators Needed

Western bean cutworm (WBC) is a pest of corn that has expanded it’s range across Iowa and states east of Iowa. Beginning in 2003, Iowa State University set up a network of pheromone traps to monitor WBC. This provides yearly moth emergence data to enhance scouting efforts