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Issue 19, August 6, 2015 • USDA-NIFA Extension IPM Grant

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Insects, Mites, and Nematodes

Swarms of "Weird "Worms" and "Sweat Bees" Infest Indiana Corn Fields

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INSECTS, MITES & NEMATODES

Swarms of "Weird Worms" and "Sweat Bees" Infest Indiana Corn Fields – (Christian Krupke and John

Obermeyer) -

Weather Update

Corn Earworm Trap Report

Western Bean Cutworm Trap Report

State Climate Office: June-July Rainfall in Indiana Not a Record, But It's Close

Moisture and Temperature Accumulations

Over the last couple of weeks, many out-of-focus pictures and videos of multitudes of looping worms

crawling over high-boy equipment that has recently been through corn fields. What were these

things? Were they eating the corn? How do we kill them? The best we could determine, especially

with the grainy video, was that the worms are actually maggots – fly larvae. The only maggots found

in cornfields this time of the year are syrphid fly larvae, which are predators of soft-bodied insects,

especially aphids. So these are good guys in action! This probably indicates that the fields are loaded

with aphids, probably corn leaf aphids or bird cherry oat aphids. Both are common and usually not an

important pest.

This week we received additional reports of large numbers of “sweat bees” in and around cornfields.

The adult syrphid is commonly referred to as the hover fly. Hover flies are bee and wasp mimics and

are often orange, black or yellow with banding patterns – this helps protect them from predators that

confuse them with more hazardous food items. They cannot sting and are harmless. Sweat bees, on

the other hand, are actually bees and have stingers. They are smaller and are typically dark or

metallic in color. Both hover flies and sweat bees are attracted to us for the moisture and salts they

get by lapping up our sweat. Sweat bees will sting if we accidently squish/swat them on our skin while

they are feeding. However, they will sometimes sting even when they are not bothered at all; they

are spiteful that way.

Though we have not seen, nor had reported, large numbers of aphids in cornfields this season, we can

deduce that there are large populations in some fields because of the high syrphid fly numbers. Their

numbers typically build in late summer and early fall, so if you haven’t seen them yet, you likely will

soon. So during some upcoming field days, impress wagon loads of attendees with your knowledge of

wasps, hover flies and sweat bees. Just make sure you know the difference before trying to catch one.

Syrphid larvae among corn anthers.

Syrphid fly on skin, notice bee like coloration.

Syrphid, or hover fly holding steady over a flower.

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Sweat bee on skin, notice wings folded over abdomen.

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Western Bean Cutworm Pheromone Trap Report

Corn Earworm Trap Report.

AdamsCounty:

Kaminsky/New Era AgCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

2Wk 4

3Wk 5

1Wk 6

0Wk 7

AdamsCounty:

Roe/Mercer LandmarkCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

2Wk 6

0Wk 7

AllenCounty:

Anderson/Syngenta SeedCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

5Wk 4

3Wk 5

7Wk 6

Wk 7

AllenCounty:

Gynn/Southwind FarmsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

1Wk 3

2Wk 4

12Wk 5

7Wk 6

Wk 7

AllenCounty:

Kneubuhler/G&K ConceptsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

5Wk 5

2Wk 6

0Wk 7

BartholomewCounty:

Bush/Pioneer HybridsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

BooneCounty:

Campbell/Beck's HybridsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

ClayCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/BrazilCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

ClayCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/Bowling GreenCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

ClintonCounty:

Emanuel/Boone Co. CESCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

1Wk 4

1Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

ClintonCounty:

Foster/Purdue EntomologyCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

5Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

DeKalbCounty:

Hoffman/ATA SolutionsCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

10Wk 4

114Wk 5

12Wk 6

6Wk 7

DuboisCounty:

Eck/Purdue CESCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

1Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

ElkhartCounty:

Kauffman/Crop Tech Inc.Cooperator:

1Wk 1

1Wk 2

0Wk 3

59Wk 4

89Wk 5

4Wk 6

0Wk 7

FayetteCounty:

Schelle/Falmouth Farm Supply Inc.Cooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

FountainCounty:

Mroczkiewicz/SyngentaCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

14Wk 3

52Wk 4

2Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

FultonCounty:

Jenkins/N. Central Coop-RochesterCooperator:

0Wk 1

2Wk 2

262Wk 3

679Wk 4

701Wk 5

36Wk 6

Wk 7

FultonCounty:

Jenkins/N. Central Coop-KewanaCooperator:

1Wk 1

2Wk 2

121Wk 3

595Wk 4

362Wk 5

42Wk 6

Wk 7

GibsonCounty:

Schmitz/Gibson Co. CESCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

HamiltonCounty:

Campbell/Beck's HybridsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

HamiltonCounty:

Truster/Reynolds Farm EquipmentCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

1Wk 6

Wk 7

HendricksCounty:

Nicholson/Nicholson ConsultingCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

1

1Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

HenryCounty:

Schelle/Falmouth Farm Supply Inc., MillvilleCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

JasperCounty:

Overstreet/Purdue CESCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

2Wk 3

51Wk 4

64Wk 5

12Wk 6

2Wk 7

JasperCounty:

Ritter/Brodbeck SeedsCooperator:

1Wk 1

0Wk 2

Wk 3

Wk 4

Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

JayCounty:

Boyer/Davis PACCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

JayCounty:

Shrack/Ran Del Agri ServicesCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

JayCounty:

Temple/Jay County CESCooperator:

Wk 1

2Wk 2

0Wk 3

Wk 4

Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

JenningsCounty:

Bauerle/SEPACCooperator:

0Wk 1

1Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

KnoxCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/FreelandvilleCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

KnoxCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/VincennesCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

KnoxCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/FrichtonCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

LakeCounty:

Kleine/Kleine FarmsCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

2Wk 3

14Wk 4

7Wk 5

4Wk 6

6Wk 7

LakeCounty:

Moyer/Dekalb Hybrids, ShelbyCooperator:

0Wk 1

2Wk 2

7Wk 3

19Wk 4

165Wk 5

13Wk 6

0Wk 7

LakeCounty:

Moyer/Dekalb Hybrids, SchneiderCooperator:

1Wk 1

0Wk 2

4Wk 3

67Wk 4

456Wk 5

76Wk 6

12Wk 7

LaPorteCounty:

Rocke/Agri-Mgmt Solutions, WanatahCooperator:

0Wk 1

5Wk 2

74Wk 3

141Wk 4

142Wk 5

10Wk 6

8Wk 7

LaPorteCounty:

Rocke/Agri-Mgmt Solutions, LaCrosseCooperator:

0Wk 1

2Wk 2

135Wk 3

350Wk 4

110Wk 5

5Wk 6

5Wk 7

MiamiCounty:

Early/Pioneer HybridsCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

6Wk 3

141Wk 4

86Wk 5

7Wk 6

0Wk 7

MiamiCounty:

Myers/Myers Ag ServiceCooperator:

Wk 1

2Wk 2

1Wk 3

9Wk 4

Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

MontgomeryCounty:

Stine/Nicholson SonsultingCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

11Wk 4

3Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

NewtonCounty:

Moyer/Dekalb Hybrids, Lake VillageCooperator:

0Wk 1

1Wk 2

3Wk 3

13Wk 4

38Wk 5

8Wk 6

1Wk 7

PorterCounty:

Leuck/PPACCooperator:

0Wk 1

1Wk 2

10Wk 3

56Wk 4

87Wk 5

4Wk 6

2Wk 7

PutnamCounty:

Nicholson/Nicholson ConsultingCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

Wk 4

Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

RandolphCounty:

Boyer/DPACCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

2Wk 4

0Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

RushCounty:

Schelle/Falmouth Farm Supply Inc.Cooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0

Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

ShelbyCounty:

Simpson/Simpson FarmsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

2Wk 3

0Wk 4

1Wk 5

0Wk 6

Wk 7

SullivanCounty:

Bower/Ceres Solutions/SullivanCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

3Wk 4

Wk 5

2Wk 6

Wk 7

TippecanoeCounty:

Bower/Ceres SolutionsCooperator:

Wk 1

2Wk 2

15Wk 3

30Wk 4

15Wk 5

2Wk 6

Wk 7

TippecanoeCounty:

Nagel/Ceres SolutionsCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

1Wk 4

0Wk 5

Wk 6

Wk 7

TippecanoeCounty:

Obermeyer/Purdue EntomologyCooperator:

Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

1Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

TippecanoeCounty:

Westerfeld/MonsantoCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

0Wk 3

0Wk 4

0Wk 5

0Wk 6

0Wk 7

WhitleyCounty:

Walker/NEPACCooperator:

0Wk 1

0Wk 2

2Wk 3

47Wk 4

119Wk 5

49Wk 6

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WEATHER UPDATE

State Climate Office: June-July Rainfall in Indiana Not a Record, But it's Close – (Keith Robinson, Ag

Answers) -

Wk 7

July rainfall combined with June's historic rains to turn the two months into the second-wettest

June and July on record in Indiana, according to the Indiana State Climate Office.

Rainfall during six weeks from about June 7 to July 21 totaled 15.09 inches, said the climate office,

based in Purdue University's Department of Agronomy. The wettest June-July was in 1958, when

16.15 inches of rain fell in Indiana.

A preliminary statewide total of 6.05 inches of rain fell in Indiana in July, ranking the month as the

seventh-wettest July since records began in 1895. The wettest July was in 1992 with 8.55 inches.

The hardest-hit areas in July were generally in two-county bands of Hendricks and Marion in

central Indiana, and Clark and Jefferson in the southeast portion of the state. The heaviest

reported rainfall was 17.65 inches in a Clark County monitoring station in Charlestown, noted Ken

Scheeringa, associate state climatologist.

June set a record as the wettest June in Indiana at 9.04 inches. That exceeded the previous record

of 8.13 inches in 1958.

A major cause of the six-week rain pattern was high pressure, anchored in the southeastern states,

that deflected incoming storm systems to Indiana, the climate office reported. Storms originated in

the Texas area on the west edge of the high-pressure system, containing large amounts of moisture

from the Gulf of Mexico.

Since about July 21, however, upper atmosphere high pressure has expanded coast to coast across

the southern states, cutting off the relentless moving of moisture from the Gulf.

"This new wind flow path has since returned Indiana to a likelihood of a more normal summer

rainfall pattern," said State Climatologist Dev Niyogi.

The outlook for the remainder of August is for equal chances of below-, normal- or above-normal

temperature and precipitation in Indiana. The early part of the month is expected to be much

cooler and drier than normal, with a possible moderation in both temperature and precipitation in

the middle and latter parts of the month.

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Precipitation

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Temperature

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Pest&Crop NewsletterPurdue Cooperative Extension Service

THANKS FOR READING

Contact Information Purdue Extension Entomology

901 W. State Street

West Lafayette, IN, 47907

(765) 494-8761

luck@purdue.edu

@PurdueExtEnt

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