Lep Monitoring Network – Fall Armyworm Update and Last Week of Corn Earworm Reports # 19

This past week was our 20^th week of monitoring for Ohio pests at the Lep Network. This week was our 4^th week reporting on the fall armyworm (FAW), with numbers remaining high in certain counties. If your county has a surplus of fall armyworm pests, we recommend continuing to scout for egg masses and larva in the coming weeks.

Fall Armyworm 

The statewide average for FAW this past week has decreased from 27.1 for the week ending August 25^th to 16.6 for the week ending September 1^st. Counties with the highest averages are Sandusky (125), Van Wert (36.1) and Wayne (15.0) (Figure 1).

The fall armyworm is a sporadic corn, sorghum, small grain, pasture grass, and forage crop pest. This armyworm is a tropical pest that overwinters in warm soil in the southern US. Since this is a sporadic pest, infestations are infrequent, yet can be damaging when they occur. The last FAW outbreak seen in Ohio was recorded in 2021 where damage from this moth has substantial effects on alfalfa, clover, turfgrass, fall cover crops and small grain fields. Since we are only at the beginning of the season for FAW, scouting should be focused primarily on egg masses and larva.

For more information on the fall armyworm, visit our factsheet on FAW: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-0093

Fall armyworm moth map

Week 4

August 26^th to September 1^st, 2024

Figure 1. Average fall armyworm (FAW) moths captured from August 26^th to Sept 1^st. The bold number on the left indicates the average moth count for the week, followed by the standard number on the right which indicates the total number of active traps set up in that county.