Sweet Corn & Earworm Control

Earworms sometimes attack ears of sweet corn.

Earworms eat directly off of sweet corn ears, making the ears unsightly and inedible. Once the pest finds its way to the ear of corn, the earworm cannot be controlled. Early control remains critical if you want to enjoy eating fresh sweet corn.

Cultural

Selecting earworm-resistant sweet corn varieties makes a good first step in keeping earworms at bay. Early planting of sweet corn seeds also helps since fewer moths search for a place to lay their eggs early in the growing season.

Insecticides

Insecticides may help get rid of earworms that show up early in the season. Spray must be applied deep into the ear's silks for the greatest success. According to the University of Kentucky, only the center third of the corn stalk needs the spray.

Prevention

As soon as the ears of corn show silk growth, spraying insecticides may help prevent the pests from attacking the ears. The spraying continues every three to five days until most of the silk has wilted. This method works best on early to mid-season sweet corn varieties.

References

• University of Kentucky College of Agriculture: Corn Earworm Management in Sweet Corn

Resources

• Mother Earth News: Part XVIII: The Corn Earworm