Back for its 11th season, Texas Corn Producers’ moth trapping program is once again collecting and reporting moth counts for counties across the Panhandle and South Plains. This year, the program is expanding to include seven counties previously included in the program at its inception.
Beginning in 2011, the moth trapping program started as a collaboration between Amarillo Research Entomologist Ed Bynum, Ph.D., and participating county-level extension offices. This checkoff-funded project gives farmers real-time information on pests in the region, helping them determine if economic thresholds have been met and if spraying should begin.
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agents in Bailey, Castro, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hale, Hartley, Moore, Parmer, Sherman and Swisher counties partner with farmers to collect moth count data on four different pests present in corn fields during the growing season: Southwestern corn borer, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm and corn earworm. This provides information to farmers on moths that are active during the corn growing season. Although there are general trends in moth activity, there are yearly variations to the timing during the season.
Traps were setup the first week in June and will be counted by county extension agents until the end of August. TCPB will post the weekly trapping information on its website at TexasCorn.org. Additionally, farmers may follow @TexasCorn on Twitter for the weekly updates. Be on the lookout for the first set of data at the end of the week!
Find out more about this and other research efforts funded by TCPB HERE.
