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Requesting volunteers to participate in insect trapping networks

Bruce Potter, Extension IPM specialist

For the past few years, Minnesota farm families and their checkoff investment have helped support insect trapping networks in Minnesota for several corn insect pests. We would like to continue and expand this network in 2021 and would appreciate your help.

Black cutworm

Figure 1. 2021 BCW Pheromone trapping
cooperators as of 1-28-21.

This insect cannot overwinter in Minnesota and the moths migrate into Minnesota each spring. The larvae attack several crops including corn and soybeans.

Spring weather patterns usually lead to early-season migrations of moths mainly into the southern half of Minnesota. A network of pheromone traps can help predict when and where damage from black cutworm larvae will occur. For previous year’s results of the black cutworm reporting network see: https://swroc.cfans.umn.edu/research/ipm/bcw-network.

We are starting to line up 2021 cooperators and trap locations. For black cutworm, we would like to get two pheromone trap locations per county, particularly in counties in the southern half of the state. Some cooperators have already indicated a willingness to run a trap during the spring of 2021 (Figure1).

If you are interested in running a trap or would like more details, contact tvollmer@umn.edu.

The true armyworm is another migrant moth pest that can be captured with pheromone traps. The larvae are pests of corn, small grains, grass seed fields, grass hay and pastures. Because of armyworm infestations the past few years, we plan on including this insect as part of the black cutworm network.

Corn rootworm

We are also looking for cooperators to monitor corn rootworm beetles with yellow sticky traps during the summer of 2021. The results can help determine the risk of corn rootworm damage to corn in the following year. This project will attempt to pool data across Minnesota with the goal of better understanding spatial and temporal changes in corn rootworm populations. Individual field locations will be kept confidential.

If you think you might want to participate in this project during 2021 or have corn rootworm trap data from 2020 that you would be willing to share, please contact bpotter@umn.edu or tvollmer@umn.edu.


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