It is our 8th week of monitoring moth pests in Ohio, and we are in our second week of monitoring Corn Earworm (CEW) and Western Bean Cutworm (WBC). To monitor these pests, we will be using green bucket traps (similar to the traps we used for BCW and AMW). These pests are monitored starting the week of June 1st and will continue through the week of August 4th for WBC and August 18th for CEW. For our first report, we saw low numbers of CEW, except for one outlier in Morgan County, and low to no WBC. Read below for more specific county information.
Corn Earworm
The corn earworm (CEW) is a crop pest native to Ohio whose larvae feed on corn. This not only directly damages the kernels; it also can cause pollination problems from silk damage, increases the risk of mold, and opens the ear to other infestations. The adults are yellowish brown and have a wingspan of 32-45 mm long. Monitoring for larvae is difficult, so we will be monitoring for adults using bucket traps. Each trap has a lure that mimics the pheromones female moths use. Traps will be checked weekly, and the numbers will be reported for each participating county.
This week 18 counties monitored WBC, but we had a very small overall reports of WBC moths in Ohio, with only 9 counties trapping the moths. Most of these traps caught an average of less than four moths except for Morgan County which trapped an average of 64.3 moths. Despite this, statewide averages are low this week.
More information on CEW can be found here https://agcrops.osu.edu/newsletter/corn-newsletter/2019-27/corn-earworm-field-corn-watch-molds
Corn Earworm Moth Map
Week 2
June 9th to June 15th, 2025
Western Bean Cutworm
Western Bean Cutworm (WBC) is a pest that feeds on corn and dry beans; its larvae can severely damage crop quality and yield. The easiest way to monitor this pest is to trap adult moths using bucket traps with specific pheromone lures (as with the BCW, AMW, and CEW). Adult WBC tend to emerge in late June to early July and have several defining characteristics that aid in their identification:
To ensure reporting is accurate, it is important to watch out for imposter species that may be caught in bucket traps and can easily be confused with WBC moths. The most common of these is the dingy cutworm. However, a telling difference between these moths is that the dingy cutworm lacks the characteristic white stripe of the WBC.
This week 19 counties monitored WBC, but we had very small reports of WBC moths in Ohio, with only 3 counties trapping the moths, Auglaize, Defiance, and Morgan. This is to be expected as they usually emerge in mid-late June.
For more information on how to scout WBC, please visit: Western Bean Cutworm | Ohioline
Western Bean Cutworm Moth Map
Week 2
June 9th to June 15th, 2025
