Corn Rootworms Like Hot, Dry Weather
Jun 21, 2010
Question: With the wet year that we’ve had here in Illinois, do you anticipate that we’ll have much of a corn rootworm problem?
Answer: Honestly, it’s always hard to say what to expect from pests in any given year, though, admittedly, corn rootworms do like hot, dry weather. Still, it’s early enough in the season that we wouldn’t want you to assume there will be little to no problem this year. Your best bet is to be checking for corn rootworm larval feeding injury during the next few weeks by checking root samples. Dig up corn plants across your fields – 8-10 throughout a field -- and look for larvae that might be feeding on the roots. To identify larvae, they are white and roughly a half-inch long with a brown head. Even if there are no larvae present, just to be sure, you still need to check the roots for any feeding damage that may have occurred.
