Control may be obtained from insecticides listed in Table 5. Apply treatments when beetles are abundant and affecting stand vigor. Back To Top Budworm Damage to corn whorl or buds may be caused by the corn earworm and the fall armyworm. Both insects may be present in the same field. It also has a more greasy and smoother appearance than corn earworm because of fewer hairs on the body.
Corn can withstand a considerable amount of whorl damage.
When infestations are heavy enough to cause dead-heart or severe stunting of plants, yield loss may occur. To determine the infestation level, check corn whorls for larvae. Control is justified when you find three to six larvae per plant. Corn earworms are cannibalistic and will often eat each other or other caterpillars in the whorl. Generally, only one or possibly two corn earworms will be found in a whorl.