This past month, AgriLife agents in the High Plains have continued their moth trapping efforts through funding from TCPB. Overall, this month’s numbers have differentiated, with location and species playing a vital role. As of July 14th:
Over the past month Southwestern corn borer (Table 1) made its way into numerous traps primarily in Deaf Smith County, but these numbers have dropped in recent weeks.
Fall armyworm numbers (Table 2) were highest in the southwest area of Gray County in week, but have ranged from high to low throughout the three counties.
The Western bean cutworm (Table 3) has been making its appearance in traps in recent weeks, especially at the Bunkerhill trapping location.
Corn ear worm (Table 4) numbers have fluctuated but have seen a recent decrease in trapping numbers the past two weeks.
Providing information to farmers about moth activity during the upcoming growing season will allow farmers to know the extent of the threat these pests pose to their crops. This research offers valuable insight for Texas farmers, making the decision-making process easier down the road when spraying crops is necessary.
Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, and Hartley counties began reporting their results in June. County extension agents will count the traps until the end of August.
TCPB is posting the weekly trapping information on its website at TexasCorn.org. Additionally, farmers may follow @TexasCorn on Twitter for the weekly updates.
Click HERE to learn more about this and other research efforts funded by TCPB.
