Silver Queen Corn- Worms

Q: Is there anything that will keep worms out of our ‘Silver Queen’ corn? Almost all of our corn this year was infested.

A: Corn earworm is also known as tomato fruitworm and cotton bollworm. The life cycle starts when a moth lays her eggs on the corn silks after they first emerge. Small caterpillars hatch and burrow into the tip of the ear. At that point, they are very difficult to control with insecticides. The best way to prevent damage is to spray the tips of small ears weekly with spinosad (Green Light Spinosad). You’ll kill eggs as they are laid and small caterpillars as they hatch.