Corn Rootworms

[MatthewH]

Hello everyone. Now that its cold and snowy and I'm spending more time indoors, I can ask you all for help about these rootworms.

First, many thanks to Jere and evryone who put on the show in August. That was our first chance to attend and my wife and I both enjoyed it. I am also thankful to the persons who helped me identify our little problem, the corn rootworm. I have researched on the web a bit, and learned that they eat corn (which I don't grow) and that there is a new biotype that survives in soybeans (I don't grow those either).

The adult beetles do attack our sunflowers and hibiscus, eating the blossoms and shredding leaves. I live on the edge of town, central Illinois zone 5, and past our fence and over the ditch is a field, one year in soybeans, the next in corn. These beetles are worse in years with corn back there, but we have them every year. As far as I know, we don't grow anything that has roots the larvae feed on, so Bt is pointless.

Our problem is the adult beetles. I don't like using pesticides, so are we helpless? Just what can we do to control these beetles without harming beneficials or the birds? If anyone has suggestions, I would like to hear them.

Thanks for listening and

Happy Trails!!

--- Matthew

[Pharmerphil]

In the garden, and pumpkin patch, I used neem.
preparing the soil in the fall I incorporate the granules, with loads of leaves , and any extra organic goodies, into the soil, Now I am not going to say it stpped the damage, but I believe it helped, they ate the silk off our late crop of sweeetcorn, which I had not used it on.
I also had yellow butter dishes, the insides coated with tanglefoot, and scented with eugenol, an attractant, you can get it at walmart pharmacy, Or Allspice oil and clove oil contain between 60 and 90 percent eugenol. It attracts the females, and I staple the tubs to stakes around the pumpkin patch, you could count the numbers of rootworm, as well as cucumber beetles, almost by the minute; thus, the downside, they need changing alot.
hope this helps :)

[dirtywhitehorse]

Are these bugs Japanese beetles you are speaking of? I have grown here for 30 years and never had Corn Rootworm that I know of . There is a june bug that comes in june and eats the roots of Sunflowers . Is this the same beetle . It is about the same size as Japanese beetles but feeds on the roots .What do these bugs look like anf what do they feed on ? :)Sharon

[Pharmerphil]

No, and you are very fortunate, This is what the beetle loooks like here, it also is a little more tan sometimes. They may have a different appearence in your area.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v202/Phlaura/CBe.jpg

[MatthewH]

PharmerPhil -- thanks for posting the picture of the little devil. These guys are one of the reasons for GM corn. As much as I dislike a face full of these little bugs, there is NO EXCUSE for gene modified corn. Also I am saving our butter tubs. Thanks for that hint also.

[Pharmerphil]

I like the face full comment MatthewH, cause thats what I get when I walk, run, or drive by on the mower, a Face full of these lil green creatures.

[dirtywhitehorse]

Hi Mathew and all,
I thought that the genetically modified corn was made to destroy corn worms thereby making "bt" not an effective method of control for organic farmers . That was the reference to gm corn kills monarch butterflys which feed on milkweed growing near cornfields .:)Sharon

[MatthewH]

That is my primary objection to gmo. You can't control it. You aim for the rootworm and take out the butterflies, and what else down the road ?? Who knows?? I think that bT is in the dunks that I put in the rain barrels to control mosquitos and that water we use on the garden. We still have plenty of earthworms and butterflies, but is there an effect that I'm not seeing here in our little micro-ecosystem? It is hard enough to track on this small scale, so I consider the unleashing of all these gm varieties on the global population to be extremely dangerous and foolhardy. Well, off my soapbox for now. Bottom line is I know I'm going to walk through the sunflowers this summer, and still get a facefull of little green bugs. But I can live with that easier than living with GMOs.