To check for centipedes, dig up the suspect plant along with a spade full of soil, and 

 place this on a sheet of plastic or cloth. Examine the root system for injury. Care- 

 fully sort through the soil, breaking up the clods and watching for the tiny, white, 

 moving centipedes. It usually takes a hundred or more centipedes per hill to cause 

 noticeable injury. Do not become alarmed if you find five to ten in each hill. This 

 number is common in many cornfields . 



If a stand is being severely affected, we suggest an application of granular Dyfonate 

 on a trial basis . Band 1 pound of actual Dyfonate per acre at the base of the plants 

 and cover the granules with cultivation. The chances for success are better if there 

 is rain following the treatment. If corn is to be replanted this year or planted in 

 the same field next year, apply 1 pound of actual Dyfonate per acre as granules in a 

 7-inch band just ahead of the press wheel. 



European corn borer development is slightly ahead of normal in the southern half of 

 Illinois. This should reduce the survival rate. Moth-emergence and egg- laying are 

 well along in the southern section. Moth-emergence reached 30 percent in the center 

 third, but approximately 20 percent of the borers had not yet pupated. Potentially, 

 the last 10 to 15 percent of the emerging moths can cause the greatest damage, be- 

 cause the corn is more mature by the time they lay their eggs and the survival of 

 the hatching larvae is greater. Pupation is just getting started in the northern 

 third of the state. 



It is still impossible to determine the exact situation. The most advanced fields 

 in the southern section should be checked in about a week; in west-central Illinois, 

 in about two weeks; and in northern Illinois, in about three weeks. The survival of 

 the borers in these advanced fields will be high, and the moths will tend to concen- 

 trate their egg-laying in such fields. 



SMALL GRAIN INSECTS 



Armyworms are still present in many of the thick stands of wheat, barley, rye, and 

 grasses in the southern part of Illinois. The main problem area lies south of Illi- 

 nois Route 16. A check in thick stands of wheat in the Illinois river bottoms as far 

 north as Havana showed only light populations of armyworms. These worms are now near 

 ing maturity (a full-grown worm is about 1-1/2 inches). Populations should decline 

 this week. Diseases and parasites are also taking their toll. After wheat is in the 

 dough stage, the loss of leaves is relatively unimportant. The real damage from army 

 worms will occur if they begin to cut the wheat heads or if they migrate to other, 

 nearby crops. A number of reports have been received about head- cutting and migra- 

 tions from grains and grasses . 



If there is still an average of 6 or more worms per foot of row and the worms are 

 generally less than 1-1/4 inches long or if head cutting is occurring, treatment 

 for armyworms would be justified. For control, apply 1-1/2 pounds of toxaphene per 

 acre. Do not feed the straw to dairy cattle, animals fattening for slaughter, or 

 poultry. There are no restrictions on the use of the grain. One and one-half pounds 

 of malathion per acre may be used to within seven days of harvest. Where worms are 

 migrating into corn, spray the infested rows as well as a 25- to 30- foot strip of 

 grass or grain adjacent to the corn. Also, watch fields in which no-till corn has 

 been planted on grass sod or after rye. Armyworm moths may have deposited eggs in 

 the grasses or rye, and the worms will move readily to the small corn. The insec- 

 ticides used on wheat can also be used on corn. In addition, carbaryl (Sevin) , used 

 as a spray on corn, will effectively control armyworms. 



