Control Worms in Sweet Corn
Worms are one of the leading causes of sweet corn damage, according to the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture. Three main perpetrators are corn earworms, European corn borers and fall armyworms. In order to control them efficiently, growers must take into account phases in the growing season and the lifecycles of the various kinds of worms. In terms of treatments, both chemical and organic methods are effective. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Identification
1. Examine the corn silks. If you have worms in the silks, you are most likely dealing with corn earworms.
2. Check the ear leaf. If you have worms in the leaf, you are probably dealing with European corn borers or fall armyworms.
3. Examine the stalk and whorl. Worms in these areas could be either corn borers or armyworms.
4. Look at the body of the worms. European corn borers are light brown with a reddish-brown head. Fall armyworms are grayish-brown with a uniform coloring. Corn earworms vary in color but always have a brown head and markings along the body.
Corn Earworm Control
5. Till the soil in the fall and the spring. This will expose any larvae to wind and cold, which should eliminate most of them.
6. Apply beneficial insects such as lacewings and damsel bugs to control larvae, or apply insecticide sprays. Ensure that the sprays permeate far into the silks. Corn earworms tend to bore deeply into corn silks, and the treatment must reach them in order to be successful.
7. Trap adults with pheromone lures. These are particularly effective during the late summer and early fall months, when the adult moths are in flight.
Fall Armyworm Control
8. Set pheromone traps during the silking season.
9. Spray corn every five to seven days if you find more than three moths in the traps per week.
10. Inspect corn that is knee-high regularly, particularly in late July and early August, when the armyworms usually are at their peak.
11. Use a soap flush made of 2 tbsp. lemon-scented dishwasher detergent and a gallon of water on other areas of land that may be breeding sites for armyworms.
12. Apply any insecticides late or early in the day, when the worms are most active.
European Corn Borer Control
13. Use light traps and pheromone traps, particularly during the summer months. Count the number of moths captured every week.
14. Spray during the silking period if you catch more than seven moths in a week. Wait until 10 percent to 20 percent of the corn is silking, then spray every five to seven days.
15. Scout the crops regularly during flight season (usually the summer months).
Tags: corn borers, European corn borers, borers fall, borers fall armyworms, Control Worms, Control Worms Sweet