Corn Worms

37chief · Aug 22, 2019

In all my years growing corn this is the first year I didn't have any worms in my corn. I didn't plant much this year, but in the past I had a considerable amount of white corn. full of worms. I skipped a couple years. Is it possible I broke the bugs growing cycle? Stan

Bill(Wis) · Aug 22, 2019

You could have. That's why it's a good idea to establish a crop rotation. Corn and soybeans work good. I grow all corn one year and all soybeans the next. Generally speaking, the pests and diseases that invade a corn field cannot survive in a soybean field and vice versa. Give them a year to go looking. I can't figure out why farmers plant both corn and soybeans in adjacent fields. Sure, they're probably trying to hedge their risk but it never made any sense to me.

Dave H (MI) · Aug 22, 2019

When I grew silver queen years ago it was always wormy. Should try it again. I think all the field corn around me has BT engineered right into it. That could really put a hurt on the population if a lot of farms in your area are using it.

Ray IN · Aug 22, 2019

Crop rotation will not help with corn ear worm, as the moths fly in from some distance. However there is often a week or two window each summer when the majority of the field corn is silking, when the sweetcorn will be clean with little spray. I think the moths are hitting the big fields then. That is why the early sweetcorn and the late sweetcorn usually have the most ear worms.

Corn Worms

37chief

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Bill(Wis)

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Dave H (MI)

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Ray IN

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