Western bean cutworm can be a serious pest in corn and dry beans. When their population or infestations exceed thresholds, insecticide treatment is warranted, and timely treatment is crucial for management success. Green bucket traps in the Panhandle are monitored by Dr. Pin-Chu Lai (Nebraska Extension Entomologist), John Thomas (Nebraska Extension Educator), and Dr. Vinicius Zuppa (Nebraska Extension Educator). Moth numbers caught in corn and dry bean fields are below.
For corn, a match between moth flight and the late whorl to early tassel stage of corn can result in high levels of infestation. For beans, feeding damage risk increases when cumulative moth catch from green bucket traps exceeds 1200 per trap.
Cumulative moth catch numbers will be updated weekly. The trapping network is supported by North Central IPM Center, and trap data are compiled by UNL PREEC Entomology Lab.
