Moth activity continues in Iowa. During Week 5, April 27 had the most true armyworm (TAW) moths reported across the state. Black cutworm (BCW) flights were a bit spread out throughout the week. In total, 78 BCW moths were reported across the state, which is the highest weekly total of the year.
Last week, significant flights of BCW occurred in Washington County (southeast) on April 28 and in Marshall County (central) on April 29. A significant flight was reported in Washington County on April 13 as well but was not included in that week’s blog post. A significant flight of BCW occurs when 8 or more moths are caught in a pheromone trap over 2 consecutive nights.
Figures 1 and 2 show the total moth captures in each county from April 26 to May 2 for TAW and BCW, respectively.
Follow the links to see reports from Weeks 1 and 2, Week 3, and Week 4.
Surrounding states also monitor and report BCW and TAW captures. If you live near the state border, it may be beneficial to check these resources periodically. More resources may be available than what is listed here:
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri
- University of Illinois
- University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ashley Dean Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Specialist II
Ashley is an education extension specialist for field crop entomology at Iowa State University. She coordinates the Iowa Moth Trapping Network, the Regional Corn Rootworm Monitoring Network, and the Iowa Pest Alert Network. She also develops educational resources for field crop pests in Iowa and ...