Western Bean Cutworm Short Course
A distance education short course
February 28, 2007, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (CST)
Until 2000, the western bean cutworm, Richia albicosta (Smith), occurred no farther east than western Iowa. From 2000 through 2006, the range of this corn ear-attacking pest expanded rapidly to the east. From 2000 through 2004, western bean cutworms were found farther east in Iowa annually. Moths were found in pheromone traps for the first time in Illinois and Missouri in 2004. In 2005 and 2006, an extensive pheromone trap network coordinated by specialists at Iowa State University provided ample evidence that the range of the western bean cutworm had expanded as far east as Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Reports of significant damage caused by western bean cutworms to corn ears have been common in Iowa for a few years, and noticeable injury was documented in some areas of Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin in 2006. As the distribution of the western bean cutworm continues to expand and the insect becomes an established pest in new areas, corn growers will have to include this pest in their corn insect management plans.
So, what do we know about the western bean cutworm, and what do we need to know? How can corn growers prepare for its management in 2007? Answers to these questions will be provided on February 28, 2007, during a short course delivered via distance education technology to sites in at least four states. Entomologists from Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin will deliver the program:
- Review of the situation, 2000-20006 (Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and elsewhere)
- History and biology of the western bean cutworm
- Look alikes--moths and larvae
- Economic impact
- Managing western bean cutworms--trapping, degree-days, scouting, economic thresholds, making management decisions
- Options for control
Sign-in for the short course will begin at 8:30 a.m., the program will begin at 9:00 a.m., and a question-and-answer session from 12:00 noon to 12:30 p.m. will conclude the program. Interaction among presenters and the audience will be encouraged.
The anticipated audience for this short course will be corn growers, members of state corn associations, agribusiness professionals (CCA CEUs will be applied for), Extension personnel, and other interested groups. Look for promotional information from state Extension groups and other organizations.