Tobacco Budworm Moth Flight

Another significant insect event is now occurring in extreme southwestern Georgia. Consultants yesterday were reporting a very heavy tobacco budworm moth flight with eggs on most every plant. This event means nothing to growers who have planted Bollgard or WideStrike varieties. However, to those with fields planted to conventional varieties, it is a different predicament. On the one hand they have adult stink bugs and hatching immature plant bugs, while on the other they need beneficials to be present during this upcoming budworm flight. This budworm moth activity will likely extend across southern counties of Alabama during the next 10 days, and may even reach the central Alabama area. Tobacco plants, grown as a sentinel crop in Prattville, AL had budworms from the previous generation of budworms. The budworm egg lay on tobacco at Headland, (southeast Alabama) continued from Memorial Day in May until about June 20. It will be difficult to advise growers with conventional cotton during the first weeks of July. They just need to realize that most worms will be budworm species and pyrethroids will not give worm control during this window of the season.