{"id":3012,"date":"2012-03-14T14:31:53","date_gmt":"2012-03-14T18:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/?page_id=3012"},"modified":"2020-03-30T19:49:40","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T23:49:40","slug":"corn-rootworm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/fact-sheets\/common-name-listing\/corn-rootworm\/","title":{"rendered":"Corn Rootworm"},"content":{"rendered":"

Corn Rootworm Beetles<\/strong> (genus Diabrotica<\/em>)–of which there are three prominent species–are a highly destructive and pervasive insect pest of corn in the U.S.\u00a0 The Western Corn Rootworm (D. virgifera virgifera<\/em>) and the Northern Corn Rootworm (D. barberi<\/em>) are the most devastating rootworm species in corn-growing states like Iowa and the more northern states that grow various amounts of corn. A third species, the Southern Corn Rootworm (D. undecimpunctata howardi<\/em>), also known as the Spotted Cucumber Beetle, is a major economic pest in other regions, and has a wide range of host plants, including cucumbers, soybeans, cotton and beans (and many others).\u00a0 Although these ‘southern’ beetles do migrate north some each year, they are seldom a problem in the more northern areas compared to the western and northern species.<\/p>\n

Corn rootworm larvae can destroy significant percentages of corn if left untreated.\u00a0 The USDA has estimated (as of 2011\/2012) that corn rootworms cause a yearly loss of approximately $1 billion in lost revenue for corn growers ($800 million in yield loss and $200 million for the cost of control measures to combat them).<\/p>\n\n\t\t