Pestwatch 2011
Posted: May 6, 2011
Join our blog this year to receive up to date – weekly reports and timely tips also available at
www.pestwatch.psu.edu. Weekly summaries will take into account environmental factor, historic trends, data from source areas to the south, and model predictions from phenology (a.k.a. degree-day) models as well as the results of our monitoring.
Last year (2010) was a banner year for corn earworm, as was 2002, 2005, and 2007. These tend to be hot, dry summers; droughty conditions in southern source areas; maybe weak winters. But we’ve also seen years of low or late immigration pressure, such as 2009, resulting in much reduced need for insecticides. Let’s hope for a year of light pressure, and let the pest management costs be borne by the IPM monitoring program, instead of extra sprays and damaged crops!
