New York Western Bean Cutworm Monitoring Program Progress Report (2010-2014)

Abstract

Western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta [Smith]) attacks corn (Zea mays L.; including field, sweet and popcorn) and dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.),feeding on developing kernels or beans inside husks and pods, respectively. Western bean cutworm (WBC) infestations can cause significant yield losses and may facilitate subsequent colonization by pathogens, furthering damage and impacts. Western bean cutworm is native to North America, but has historically been restricted to the Great Plains and westward. Over the past decade, WBC has expanded its range through the Midwest into the northeastern United States and Canada. As WBC has moved eastward, its caterpillars have caused economic damage, particularly in Michigan and Ontario, where growers have reported 8-10% losses in dry beans and 40% losses in field corn. WBC moths were first discovered in Pennsylvania and New York in 2009 and Vermont in 2011. Pheromone trapping was initiated in NY and PA in 2010 and in VT in 2011 in collaboration with scientists from Penn State University and University of Vermont. The trap network has revealed western bean cutworms are becoming more widely distributed and populations are increasing, posing a potential risk to dry beans and the over 3.5 million acres of corn grown in NY, PA, and VT. Thus far, only non-economic larval infestations have been found in the Northeast. However, this season there are reports of some WBC damage to untreated fresh market sweet corn in northern NY and trace amounts of suspected WBC damage to dry beans in western NY.