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Protecting Sweet Corn 

Pest management includes monitoring and data collection

By Teresa Dorado, Applied Farmscape Ecology Coordinator

The Farm Hub partners with the New York State Integrated Pest Management Sweet Corn Pheromone Trap Network–a collaboration between the NYS IPM Program, local Cornell Cooperative Extension programs, farmers, and others who provide technical support to growers. 

We set moth traps for common sweet corn pests including European corn borer, Fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, and Corn earworm. 

Here is how it works: moths are attracted to specific pheromones, and we place the pheromone in the trap corresponding to the moth we want to attract and monitor.  Every week we check the traps and count the moths inside each. Moth counts, coupled with field scouting, give us a better idea of the pest pressure on the sweet corn and overall damage from caterpillars on the corn. 

The Sweet Corn Pheromone Trap Network includes monitoring sites from across the entire state. Growers and others interested in sweet corn pest activity in the region can click here to sign up for weekly reports and find educational materials. 

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