We know that we aren’t the only ones, but we are monitoring corn earworm moths again in Virginia at multiple locations. Pheromone trap counts of 7 or more moths per week indicates that this pest is active on the farm and could potentially become a pest threat to the numerous crops that it attacks such as sweet corn, cotton, hemp, soybean, tomato, and many others. Female egg-laying moths are particularly attracted to flowering plants or plants with fruiting stages.

Trap catch for this week ending June 29 at several locations is as follows:

• Townsend (Eastern Shore) – 4 moths
• Cheriton (Eastern Shore) – 0
• Machipongo (Eastern Shore) – 0
• Nassawadox (Eastern Shore) – 0
• Clover (Southside VA) – 66 moths
• Blacksburg (southwest ridge and valley) – 2 moths

Thank you to Helene Doughty who is monitoring the traps on the Eastern Shore, Bill Tiver who is monitoring a trap in Clover, VA, and Brian Currin who is monitoring traps around Blacksburg. Moth catch was low on the Eastern Shore and in Blacksburg this week, but rather high at the Clover site; however, sweet corn is in reproductive stages on that farm and probably a very attractive location in southside, VA.