How to Keep Ear Worms from Eating Your Corn
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- čas přidán 13. 07. 2024
- On this week's Two-Minute Tip, how to prevent corn earworms from eating the tips of your corn.
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I'd like to share a 100% proven method I came up with a couple decades ago. I got frustrated because my bug lights by the back deck weren't helping with mosquitoes as much as I had hoped, all they seemed to kill was moths. Hmmmmm, got me to thinking and so I did an experiment in the garden. I bought some Flowtron bug lights that were for 1/2 acre area and hung them on shepherds hooks about 6 ft high. Put them on one end of the 150ft rows of corn and had them on a plug that turned them on at sunset and off at sunrise. Not a single cornworm within 75 ft and very few within 90 ft. Beyond 90 ft there were worms in every ear. The next year I put bug lights at each end and even in the middle. Not a single ear had a worm.
The reason you want to use Flowtron bug lights is because they don't use 1/2 in hardware cloth around the bulb which tends to easily clog up with the dead bodies. The Flowtron, and I'm sure some other brands, only has vertical rods so the bodies tend to simply fall to the ground. I still have to clean them every so often but not too much.
I've expanded this idea and now put bug lights near my squash plants to take care of vine borers but you have to place the lights very low to the ground because those moths don't fly as high.
Anyway, hope this helps.
I had used other “remedies” for years without success. This year, I bought your product and used it just as this video advises. Yesterday, we had our first corn harvest of the season. Absolutely no worms! Most beautiful, pristine ears of corn I’ve ever harvested. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing!
After silks turn brown, put around 7to 10 drops of mineral oil where silk connects to ear, then close with close pin or rubber band to prevent worms going in. Mineral oils suffocates them. Easiest to do on small home garden. We have only around 50 stalks so not hard at all, best thing I've tried that works.
That might take a minute on my 30'x35' plots.
Like I'm going to do that for 500 plants
Do you think just using corn oil would have the same effect? Asking because I have a lot of that and no mineral oil. :-)
@@billwelch9431 Hard to do for a 200*80 at 30" rows
This might be great if ur flowing 4 ears of corn but if ur growing a field full of corn that's to much time to hand drop mineral oil on ever ear connects and I'm not trying to be a ahole I'm just saying I think I'd rather use something I can spray if it's safe.
The corn earworm and the tomato hornworm are my terrors. BT takes care of all that, especially the corn. Like magic. However, I had not run across Spinosad. I'll surely keep it in mind. Super thanks for the info! UPVOTE!
UPDATE: This year I used Captain Jacks Dead bug along with a good splash of year old SAFER BT on the corn. After 300 ears or so the tally is I saw one worm, 4 nibbled tops...and that's it. If I had not used the BT...I'd have been lucky to get one undamaged ear.
Thank you very much. Going to spray this evening
Clear and useful, thank you! Foes this spinosad wash off in the rain? This year I had a lot of rainfall and it blighted my garden something fierce.
I spray vegetable oil on the fully extended silks using an old suntan oil spray bottle. I only had 2 worms in six 100ft. rows.
Bet that took a minute, but good to hear that you had worm-free corn!
@@gardeningwithhoss I grew up using the oil method as well. It does work.. but yes it takes a minute lol
I had very poor pollination this year some of the ears were less than 50% filled. 1-3 worms and every single ear. Next year this will be my go to fix.
I live in NY State. I have to plant my corn by June 1st. in order to pick it before frost hits it. Planted corn last May around the 19th. So wet this year, be 2 weeks before it dries out enough to till. I am going to look for this product. Corn bores ruined most of my corn last year. Thanks for sharing .
It works like a charm. The trick is to make sure you spray it on the silks/ears.
I have very little problem with pests in my spring crop of sweet corn. My second planting requires a lot of àttension.
This is our first year growing our garden and when I found these worms I was devastated thanks for the tip now I know what to do 😊
Now you can get 'em!
ruined everything i grew ... i hate these damn bugs ... i started smashing them between my fingers for satisfaction this past fall .... too bad there were like 200 of them
i just discover some too. Too sad
@@moihawk666i totally feel your pain! im having to cut the tip off of every ear so far, ! but damn the corn is so good , i just wish i cut share it with people
Saw in another video that Spinosad is toxic to bees...I haven't confirmed yet, but something to consider
Canola oil works, few drops on the center of the silk!!
Thanks so much!
You're welcome!
thanks Hoss
You're welcome Dave!
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Great video
Thanks!
I like the idea of using the spray versus what I have been doing. The best results I have had fighting the ear worms is using a dust by Safer Brand named Garden Dust. And I would just dust the silk. It takes a lot of time. I think I will give your product a try. I am going to search for your video to plant fall corn so I get the timing right.
We usually plant fall corn in early September. The spinosad is definitely the trick for the earworms.
@@gardeningwithhoss Thanks. I will definitely be planting corn in September.
Does any Canadians know where to get this or a comparative product? This can't be found anywhere nor does anyone ship it here.
hell yeah !!! first video i have seen from contact and bugs dont get a resistance to it .... @hoss Tools do you know if this will change from plant to plant? example my marijuana plants have STUPID amounts of corn ear worms.... but the flower itself is attacked just like corn the product itself is attacked will this change taste or safety? i grow for myself so this is a very personal question
Spinosad will work great for controlling worms on any plant. We use it on cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.
Thanks for the info. Does spraying the silks and tassels have any affect on the pollination cycle ?
Not that we've noticed.
Hoping this works on cannabis too. thank you
Travis, When did you plant your fall corn?
We planted this mid-August.
I'm trying to let the crop dry on the stalk? How many applications of this should I use since the first showing of corn silks
every 4 to 5 days until the corn is ready to harvest in the garden
I just found a black with 4 yellowish spots on the back, flea like bug in one of my stalks of a killed corn plant. It’s about 1/4 inch long. I’m in MN. Would you be able to tell what that is from the description and how best to rid of it? I’ve sprayed Spinosad twice in the past week, 6 days apart, and have noticed that. The pest has left what looks like burn marks at the base of the stalk. Can they do widespread crop damage?
Would have to see a photo to properly identify it. You should post a photo in our Row by Row group on Facebook and our knowledgable group members would be glad to help.
Is it too late to spray when the silks have already been pollinated? :( will it keep them from damaging it further
Not too late at all.
I've got what appears to be an earworm problem. Little green worms along with even smaller white ones are chewing both holes and translucent windows in the leaves of my immature (20" tall pre-tassels/silk), sweetcorn stalks. I've tried a 30-50% isopropyl/water + peppermint oil + neem oil + clean soap mixture with confusing results.
Interpretation is understanding and yet, it's my first year in several so I have neither.
When unsure, sow more seeds and grow both on parallel timelines.
Check our our corn growing guide for what you can use.
*hosstools.com/hoss-growing-guides/
Every 4 days seems like a lot of work, and I only have 120 plants of flint corn in my garden...think I could get away with every two weeks if it doesn't rain much? Zone 6. I'll take my answer off the air.
I'm having Japanese beetle problems. Will this product be effective on them as well? If not, so you recommend anything? Thank you in advance
Spinosad is the most comprehensive organic pest control product we have. I would try that before going to a conventional product which may require you to wait a week or two between applying and harvesting.
@@gardeningwithhoss Thank you, I am looking at your website now.
Awesome! I just got some of this product. I am armed and ready.
Good luck
Do you have any idea if spinosad will keep for a couple of years in the bottle or does it go bad?
I would only get enough that you were going to use in a single year.
@@gardeningwithhoss I called the company that makes this and they said 4-5 years if kept cool. I'd prefer fresh not to take any chances but hey we live in crazy times.
I just found out that I already have them and my corn will be ready to harvest in about 2 and a half weeks. What can I do to get rid of them now or is it too late?
You can spray spinosad now which will help, but best to be a little more proactive in the future.
Will spraying have an effect on pollination? When should I spray and when SHOULDN'T I spray?
Corn is wind-pollinated, so it won't affect corn pollination. It's always a good idea to spray late in the evenings or at even at night if you've got a good headlamp.
@@gardeningwithhoss Thank you
@@gardeningwithhoss Why at night?
@@HP-xm1zt i can speculate as to why you would want to spray spinosad on corn at night. Dont want water droplets on leaves in direct sunlight. Also bees, are not out at night. I know the corn is wind pollinated but I have observed small native bees all over the tassels. Dont wana hurt them. At night The spray will stay on plant longer before drying up. No UV light to deteriorate the spray.
I'm confused. Do you apply it as soon as the silks appear or after they start browning from pollination?
As soon as silks appear.
@@gardeningwithhoss thank you!
Do the worms make the ear inedible, dangerous to eat? I grow for personal consumption, not commercial. So, in other crops, like an apples or pears or peppers, i just cut off the part nibbled on and eat the rest.
I had a few, but not many and they stayed within the first 1-2 inches. I just threw them to my pigs and they were happy to take my wormmy corn off my hands. Lol But for further reference, it's nice to know.
The worms eat the corn. They don't just nibble at a few kernels. And they don't eat neatly like we do, in perfect rows. I think they purposely make turns and crazy paths, and the area around their path is black. The whole cob is usually inedible. Made me sick the first year those jerks found my corn patch.
Will this work on the worms that come out at night and chew up my squash?
It will work on pickle worms as well, but you'll need to be preventative and catch them early. Once those worms start boring into the fruits, they're hard to eliminate.
@@gardeningwithhoss Are pickle worms the same as Squash Vine Borers? They eat my zucchini plants before they're a foot tall! How early? And where do they start? I've been trying different strategies for about 8 years!
I found a worm inside one of my corn stalks. I killed it, and applied some Spinosad earlier tonight. Tassels have not appeared yet. Could that be a corn borer, and not an ear worm?
Probably an ear worm. They'll get inside the stalks and cause damage early if you let them. Better to handle the problem now before you get ears.
@@gardeningwithhoss I plan on applying every week until the silk turns brown.
How often would you spray this
Every 10 days
How well does it stay on like when it rains …?
good residual
I've heard that to inoculate against eagworms, it's advisable to trim back the corn silks then apply Bt or Spinosad. True or false on the trimming question? Also, what's the difference between "Popcorn Corn" and "Sweet corn"? (Please don't respond with something stupid like, "One is microwaveable", or "One is sweet". I will not be amused.
The sweet corn that we typically eat is different than the kernels that become popcorn. Only one variety of maize will make it - Zea mays everta. Though it looks like a typical corn kernel, this particular variety is the only one that can pop. No to trimming corn silks. This will affect your corn kernels.
The silks that emerge from the ear shoot are the functional stigmas of the female flowers of a corn plant. Each silk connects to an individual ovule (potential kernel). A given silk must be pollinated in order for the ovule to be fertilized and develop into a kernel.
If the corn worm moth lays its eggs on the silks, why is it necessary to spray the tassels? I am concerned that my honeybees will come in contact with the Spinosad, when they gather pollen.
Worm damage can occur on the tassels as well, which will in turn affect corn pollination. Corn is not insect-pollinated, so no real threat of harming pollinators if you just spray the corn. If you're worried about nearby plants that are insect-pollinated, simply spray around dark and not during pollination hours.
Hoss Tools thanks for your response. I know that corn is not dependent on insects for pollination, it is wind pollinated, but does that also mean that honeybees are not interested in the pollen and will not visit the tassels?
Bees are attracted to flowers. That's why certain plants make flowers -- to attract birds and bees which help them pollinate and reproduce. We've never seen bees on corn tassels around here. But if you spray at night, there's no worries either way.
Hoss Tools well, the tassel is the corn “flower” which produces the pollen. I will spray late in the day as possible. Thank you.
@@sqwrrl bees are very attracted to corn. This year walking through my corn when it started to pollinate there was a loud buzzing all throughout and bees on every plant. Don't spray the tassels if you dont have to. regardless of whether you spray at night or not you are getting the spray in the pollen and when the bees gather at they take it back to the hive and can poison the whole hive.
At what height should corn be sprayed
Watch again, it’s not about height it’s about tassel and silk.
When did you put this corn in the ground?
Mid-August
thanks.
@@gardeningwithhoss where are you located?
BT Roundup ready sweetcorn is where its at
If you say so ... There are some serious ecological implications for the widespread use of non-selective herbicides. We live in the largest agricultural county in Georgia and we've seen it firsthand. We prefer for our corn to only have corn genes, not genes spliced from other unrelated species.
Anything round up ready can’t be good to eat for humans or animals. IMO
Will it kill bees?
Not if you spray late in the evenings or at night when the bees are gone to bed.
Is this product still available?
growhoss.com/products/spinosad-garden-insect-spray?_pos=2&_fid=2a6e9f4ac&_ss=c&variant=45579279860022
Travis, y'all prepared for this storm? Looks like y'all might get some of that bad boy.
We got it alright. Not any structural damage. Just some limbs and corn down.
What is the yellow oval bug with little black hairs that eats squash and cucumber leaves?
beetle
@@gardeningwithhoss but what kind? What can we do about them.
Do you have a video about them?
no, but that is a great suggestion
Here it is
"Plants Respond to Caterpillar Sounds by Creating Defensive Chemicals"
ENTOMOLOGY TODAY
JULY 3, 2014
My corn is not growing good it ear of corn .what do I need to do
Make sure it has plenty of water and nitrogen. Also make sure you don't let it get stressed.
@@gardeningwithhoss love your corn I order from you guys. It was so good win we cooking some today
Those eat bud plants
Will this stuff kill me make me sick or make my babies be born naked ?
Can you touch them?
yes
Best product for grubs
In the garden or lawn?
@@gardeningwithhoss in raised beds
You can get rid of grubs naturally by introducing natural predators, limiting the moisture your beds receives, deploying milky spore or beneficial nematodes, using neem oil, creating a grub killer with borax