Stalk Borers Begin Migration to Corn
ICM News
By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology and Adam Sisson, Integrated Pest Management
Common stalk borers are moving to corn in southern Iowa.
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By Erin Hodgson, Department of Entomology and Adam Sisson, Integrated Pest Management
Common stalk borers are moving to corn in southern Iowa.
About 10 percent of stalk borer larvae can begin moving to corn after accumulating 1,300 to 1,400 degree days. Part of southern Iowa hit this degree day benchmark over the weekend; central and northern Iowa should reach this mark mid-month. This is about three weeks earlier than last year.
Corn is infested by stalk borer when stalk borer larvae move to find bigger host plants, typically adjacent to grassy edges of emerging corn. The most susceptible stages of infestation are at V1-V5, or about 2-24 inches in plant height.