By Kelly McIntyre¹, Helene Doughty², Lorena Lopez², and Tom Kuhar¹

This summer and fall, we are tracking moth flight numbers around Virginia using pheromone traps for three important pests, fall armyworm (FAW), which can attack most grasses, corn, sorghum, small grains, and even alfalfa; pickleworm, which is a late season pest of squash, pumpkins, and cucumbers, and corn earworm (CEW), which attacks over 300 host plants including many of the major crops in Virginia.  FAW and pickleworm do not overwinter in Virginia and typically are carried northward in late summer on storm fronts coming from the south. 

Researchers have demonstrated that certain trap types are better for certain moth species.  We are monitoring fall armyworm moths using the bucket trap baited with a Trece FAW pheromone lure and placed near corn fields.  We are monitoring the presence of pickleworm moths using the Trece Deltatrap baited with the pheromone lure and placed around pumpkin fields.  Corn earworm is monitored using the Heliothis mesh trap or the Hartstack wire mesh trap, which catches the most corn earworm moths among all trap types. 

FW = fall armyworm; PW= pickleworm; CEW = Corn Earworm
name	location	date checked	# days since last check	# FAW (if applicable)	# PW (if applicable)	# CEW (if applicable)
Mcintyre	Homefield Farm – Whitethorne	8/9	6	9	0	5
Mcintyre	Wall Farm – Blacksburg	8/9	6	na	na	109
Mcintyre	Turfgrass Center – Blacksburg	8/9	6	3	0	0
Mcintyre	Homefield Farm – Whitethorne	8/17	8	11	0	0
Mcintyre	Wall Farm – Blacksburg	8/17	8	na	na
Mcintyre	Turfgrass Center – Blacksburg	8/17	8	4	0	0
Mcintyre	Homefield Farm – Whitethorne
Mcintyre	Wall Farm – Blacksburg
Mcintyre	Turfgrass Center – Blacksburg
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	6/15	7	na	na	30
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	6/22	7	na	na	8
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	6/29	7	na	na	7
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	7/6	7	na	na	24
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	7/13	7	na	na	5
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	7/20	7	0	na	18
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	7/27	7	0	na	39
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	8/3	7	2	na	19
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	8/12	9
Doughty	ESAREC, Painter, VA	8/17	5			155
Romelczyk	Montross	8/12	4	0
Romelczyk	Montross	8-17	9		0
Lopez	ESAREC, Painter, VA	8/18	7	na	0	na
Flanagan	Cullipher Farms, VB, VA	8/18	N/A	34	0
Lopez	HRAREC	8/18	7	na	0	na
Lopez	Sea Breeze Farm, Cape Charles	8/18	7	na	0	42
Deitch	Arlington RD – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	na		8
Deitch	Seaview – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	na		246
Deitch	Machipongo – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	na		43
Deitch	Nassawadox – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	0		na
Deitch	Townsend – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	0		na
Deitch	Kendall Grove – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	0		na
Deitch	Red Bank Road – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	0		na
Deitch	Exmore – Northampton Co.	8/2	7	0		na
Deitch	Arlington RD – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	na		25
Deitch	Seaview – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	na		3
Deitch	Machipongo – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	na		66
Deitch	Nassawadox – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	na		8
Deitch	Townsend – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	0		na
Deitch	Kendall Grove – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	1		na
Deitch	Red Bank Road – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	0		na
Deitch	Exmore – Northampton Co.	8/9	7	0		na
Deitch	Arlington RD – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	na		16
Deitch	Seaview – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	na		4
Deitch	Machipongo – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	na		168
Deitch	Nassawadox – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	na		4
Deitch	Townsend – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	1		na
Deitch	Kendall Grove – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	0		na
Deitch	Red Bank Road – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	0		na
Deitch	Exmore – Northampton Co.	8/16	7	0		na