Western Corn Rootworm Hatch Confirmed in West Central Indiana

Entomologists (Christian Krupke, John Obermeyer, and Larry Bledsoe) at Purdue University have confirmed that the annual larval hatch of western corn rootworms is underway. They found the first corn rootworm larva on June 6 and believe that hatch was initiated on June 4. This event was a little later than heat-unit totals predicted. I suspect that the drought of 2012 forced much deeper egg laying in the soil contributing to the slightly later hatch this spring. Not all corn rootworm larvae hatch at once. This staggered event will occur over the next several weeks. By late June and early July, we should begin to see evidence of root injury, especially in fields where corn rootworm products may not be performing up to acceptable standards.

Mike Gray