While the western bean cutworm has long been a pest of corn and dry beans in the western Great Plains region, its significant range expansion eastward in the past 16 years has greatly increased the potential damage that this pest can do. Infestations in field corn are capable of inflicting up to 40% yield loss and can also lead to secondary fungal infections, decreasing grain quality. This presentation will help consultants, growers, and other practitioners, particularly in the western Great Plains, to understand integrated pest management options for controlling western bean cutworm. Specifically, in this presentation, practitioners will learn the following about western bean cutworm: range expansion and current pest status; identification and life cycle; economic damage and feeding behavior; integrated pest management options, such as population monitoring, field scouting, economic thresholds, chemical control, transgenic control, and biological control; and resistance management. By the end of this presentation, practitioners should know more about the ecology and management of western bean cutworm and how to implement integrated pest management and resistance management techniques for this damaging pest.
