More Flights of Black Cutworm Moths Have Arrived in Southeastern Pennsylvania

Black cutworm moths continue to arrive in southeastern Pennsylvania, but in the rest of the state our traps have yielded relatively few individuals. Penn State's Black Cutworm Monitoring Network has now detected five "significant flights" of moths (9 moths over two nights)—two in Lancaster County (near Manheim and Landisville) and three in Lebanon County (near Fredericksburg, Cornwall, and Bellegrove). See last week's article   for an overview of the damage potential from black cutworm caterpillars to corn and our recommended strategy for control. We will update you weekly on the status of accumulated degree days at these sites and if others emerge, and keep you informed of when the risk of cutting damage to corn plants approaches (Table 1). See our fact sheet on black cutworm  for more details.

Table 1. Significant flights of black cutworm moths detected in Pennsylvania in 2022, and accumulated degree days since trapping.

^*As of 12 May 2022