2013 New York Sweet Corn Pheromone Trap Network (SCPTN)

Abstract

Three important insect pests of sweet corn, European corn borer, corn earworm, and fall armyworm, cause damage to sweet corn ears in their larval stage. These pests are moths in their adult stage and can be monitored using traps baited with pheromone lures specific for each species. The trap catch information allows growers, consultants, and Cooperative Extension and vegetable processor field staff to track the flights of the adults of these three pests, and trap numbers contribute to making informed decisions about when sweet corn fields need to be scouted or treated with an insecticide. Starting in 2010, traps for a new pest, the western bean cutworm, were added to the trap network to track its’ movement and numbers.