Corn Rootworm Remains A Lurking Threat

By: Gil Gullickson

For the most part, there’s good news about corn rootworm in 2019.

Wyffels Hybrids had an extensive rootworm-trapping network this last summer for adult rootworm beetles in order to assess next year’s larval (root damaging) populations.

“We have not seen a huge spike in numbers,” says Mitch Heisler, marketing manager for Wyffels Hybrids. “There are some hot pockets, including northwestern Illinois and eastern Iowa. But there is nothing drastic.”

Still, corn rootworm isn’t called the billion-dollar bug for nothing. There have been times when corn rootworm has been flat on its back only to return and shred corn roots and corn yields. It’s estimated corn rootworm costs corn growers $1 billion annually.