I was called to look at some field corn in Burlington County because of insect damage. The damage was due to some significant populations of european corn borer larvae. This is not suprising given that the RCE Vegetable IPM program was reporting very high populations of adult moths in black light traps earlier this spring. Those of us in field crops tend to forget about ECB because of Bt hybrids. Remember though we can still treat for ECB in the required non-Bt refuges and non-Bt planted fields. Rescue treatments are not that effective when the larvae are deep in the whorl or in the stalk. Information on scouting and treatments for ECB can be found in the Mid-Atlantic Pest Management Recommendations for Field Crops. Keep in mind that ECB can also attack sweet corn and peppers.
Bill Bamka
