News

Early spring storms bring unwanted pests

The coordinator of the Illinois Agricultural Pest Survey at the University of Illinois says a stormy spring means Midwestern farmers are seeing significant flights of black cutworm moths.

Kelly Estes says the pests have already been detected in several areas.

“With this constant barrage of storms coming through, we have had moth flights continually brought up from the South.”  She says, “I think we are seeing a little bit more activity earlier.”

She tells Brownfield once moths are detected it won’t be long before their damaging offspring are in fields.

“They are laying eggs and so based on temperatures, and historic temperatures, we can predict forward when those eggs will hatch, when larvae are present and are big enough to really begin feeding on plants,” she says.

Estes says Illinois farmers could see the earliest cutworms impacting young crops by mid-May.

“When we think of black cutworms, we think of cut plants.”  She says, “We’re looking for things that are chewing on, or through leaves, and then also cutting plants at the base.”

She says producers are encouraged to follow economic threshold guidelines when deciding to spray black cutworms.  

AUDIO: Kelly Estes – Illinois Ag Pest Survey