This is our 19th week of the Lep (moth) monitoring program and we continue to focus on fall armyworm. This will be our last week reporting on CEW.
Fall Armyworm
Fall armyworm (FAW) is an occasional pest in Ohio as it migrates as moths to Ohio between July – September. It does not overwinter here. Typically, the moths are brought in via storm fronts and the moths then lay eggs which hatch into caterpillars. It is the caterpillars that are the damaging stage of this pest. For more biology and management information, click here:
Fall Armyworm in Ohio Field Crops | Ohioline
Our third week of FAW monitoring covered 14 counties and 39 traps. Overall, our statewide average was 3.7 (down from 1.9 last week). The majority of moth activity continues to be in the north-western part of the state (Figure 1). Out of the 14 counties, only 4 reported zero FAW. Fulton county had the highest average of 15.5 moths, followed by Van Wert with an average of 12.4. While there is no official threshold, it is worthwhile to scout when a county has an average of 7.0 moths or higher.
Fall Armyworm Moth Map
Week 3
August 17th – August 23rd, 2026
Figure 1. Average fall armyworm moths reported from August 17th – August 23rd, 2026. The bold number indicates the average moth count for the week, followed by the standard number which indicates the total traps set up in that county.
Corn Earworm
For our final week of monitoring CEW, we had 8 counties, monitoring a total of 17 traps. Overall, CEW numbers have been low; however, the average did increase this week to 3.3 (up from 1.3 last week). The increase was mainly driven by a high average of 14.5 in Williams county (Figure 2).
Corn Earworm Moth Map
Week 12
August 17th – August 23rd, 2026
Figure 2. Average corn earworm (CEW) moths captured from August 17th – August 23rd, 2026. The bold number indicates the average moth count for the week, followed by the standard number which indicates the total traps set up in that county.