Western bean cutworms in western Iowa

The western bean cutworm is a mid-season pest of field corn that is rarely see in Iowa. In 2000, some fields in northwestern Iowa suffered economic yield loss. One field in Holstein, Ida County, had approximately 95 percent of the ears heavily damaged from the larvae. Kernels in the ear tips, plus along the side of the ear, were destroyed. In addition, many plants were invaded by ear molds, which reduced the quality of the yield at harvest. This year, Joel DeJong, extension field specialist in crops, has trapped adult moths in Cherokee and Woodbury counties