European corn borer

[Vitu]

We seem to have a god number of maize plants damaged by them this year
Some fields worse than others. Up to 30% of plants in one field with larvae in when checking with agronomist today.
Are other people seeing them?
Doesn’t seem to be a lot if information of what the consequences are or how to lesson the burden in the future

 

[deleted user 837354]

If this pest becomes a regular visitor and widespread across the UK it will be a serious PITA without access to Bt biotechnology.

Cut maize crops as low as you can if possible and then plough the stubble under to stop the larvae pupating in the residue.

 

[Vitu]

If this pest becomes a regular visitor and widespread across the UK it will be a serious PITA without access to Bt biotechnology.

Cut maize crops as low as you can if possible and then plough the stubble under to stop the larvae pupating in the residue.

I would guess the hundreds of acres of game cover maize will unsure that they are here to stay with them having
Maize to live in for 9 months of the year or more where some shoots leave the covers standing until March/April

 

[deleted user 837354]

I would guess the hundreds of acres of game cover maize will unsure that they are here to stay with them having
Maize to live in for 9 months of the year or more where some shoots leave the covers standing until March/April

Time to grow something else. The larvae pupate in maize stubbles. In some EU countries they flail the maize stubble off or have adapted headers to shave it right down. Having mature maize crops stood for months over winter will be a surefire way to grow a horde of them. Grow kale instead. Not sorghum either. These bugs have spread across Europe formerly being a warm climate problem.

 

[Vitu]

Time to grow something else. The larvae pupate in maize stubbles. In some EU countries they flail the maize stubble off or have adapted headers to shave it right down. Having mature maize crops stood for months over winter will be a surefire way to grow a horde of them. Grow kale instead. Not sorghum either. These bugs have spread across Europe formerly being a warm climate problem.

When a third of the farm is in maize to feed the digester it’s not easy to find something else to grow.
And it would take an army to stop shoots from growing maize!
They seem to cope with them in the US using BT. are we ever likely to have access to that over here?
It also appears they survive the cold winters in the north west US.
Sounds like it could be as big a problem as flea beetle in rape in the near future
Thanks for your replies ollie

 

[deleted user 837354]

When a third of the farm is in maize to feed the digester it’s not easy to find something else to grow.
And it would take an army to stop shoots from growing maize!
They seem to cope with them in the US using BT. are we ever likely to have access to that over here?
It also appears they survive the cold winters in the north west US.
Sounds like it could be as big a problem as flea beetle in rape in the near future
Thanks for your replies ollie

I mean grow something else as a game crop.

 

[Veryfruity]

South of France

Here the generations are monitored with sticky traps, and when there is the main flight they release parasitic wasps. ( trichgramme)
They do this on a big scale around Toulouse

Sorry the link is in French but the pictures are very nice

https://desangosse.fr/produits/n-u-3463450000834.pdf

I

 

[Badshot]

Time to grow something else. The larvae pupate in maize stubbles. In some EU countries they flail the maize stubble off or have adapted headers to shave it right down. Having mature maize crops stood for months over winter will be a surefire way to grow a horde of them. Grow kale instead. Not sorghum either. These bugs have spread across Europe formerly being a warm climate problem.

Why not sorghum?
There's a fair bit of that in environmental mixes for over wintering

 

[yellow belly]

perennial chichory for game covers makes a much better cover in our climate #and avoids micotoxins in wheat crops also much cheaper to grow and is full of small birds in the winter and insects in the summer a win win win

several shoots round here had very poor maize covers last year and had poor shooting

 

[deleted user 837354]

Why not sorghum?
There's a fair bit of that in environmental mixes for over wintering

I seem to remember the borer can over winter in sorghum too.

 

[7610 super q]

Won't be allowed in after Brexit.

 

[deleted user 837354]

This bug is a real problem, and I presume is widely resistant to most insecticides even if they weren't already banned.

Will be a nightmare if this thing spreads to the UK in a big way. Not widely known about by many but probably can be managed to negate the risk if stubbles are dealt with correctly.

I suspect even Bt crops would become ineffective in time.

 

[Bogweevil]

Is it a real problem? AHDB speaks thus:

• Established in SE England but an infrequent pest at present. • Larvae (caterpillars) feed within the whorls and on leaves, subsequently boring into the stalks and eventually migrating into the shank portion of the ears. • Fully-grown larvae are 25mm long with dark-brown spots on each body segment. There is a distinct reddish-brown stripe along the entire length of the body. • Kernels that are damaged or contaminated with droppings can be hard to detect.

Western Root Worm on the other hand could be more destructive if it arrives. Most likely to be spotted near airports.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Is it a real problem?

Depends whether, as a new pest suddenly occurring in high numbers, it becomes like wheat blossom midge or like silver Y moth

 

[Bogweevil]

Depends whether, as a new pest suddenly occurring in high numbers, it becomes like wheat blossom midge or like silver Y moth

True, look at leek moth - confined to the Kent coast for decades but recently spread all over southern England. Adapted population? climate change? Who can say?

Right little so and so for organic growers.

 

[Bogweevil]

Interesting, AHBD suggest:

Good rotation and cultivations, reduced harvesting height, and deep burying of residues will cause significant disruption to over wintering larvae by removing much of the matter in which they will reside (MGA,2010).

I presume you do all that as routine anyway.

Cypermethrin is the only insecticide in the CRD database with approval for maize, forage or otherwise.

 

[Vitu]

Been told the moth can fly 20 miles to find maize plant to lay eggs on. So you can do all the stubble
Hygiene / rotation you want but if other farms in the location don’t do the same then there’s a good
Chance you’ll get them again if they have over wintered in stubble.
Looked at crops on other farms that grow for us and they have them too so looks like it’s spread quite a lot
this year.
It will interesting to see the true effects when the forager gets in the field. As healthy looking plants that I
Cut off to do dry matter test had hollow stems

 

[Boysground]

1st time I have ever seen one. Found the larvae but he wriggled out of my fingers before I could get a photo.

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[deleted user 837354]

I can't see cypermethrin being much use against this pest.

 

[Boysground]

To quote my agronomist “it’s all the rage” I get the feeling he’s not worried

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