Ecology and Management of the Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Corn and Dry Beans—Revision With Focus on the Great Lakes Region

The western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) is a native North American pest of corn and dry beans. The historical geographic range of the western bean cutworm covered the western Great Plains states including Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Since 1999, the geographic range of the western bean cutworm has rapidly expanded eastward across the U.S. Corn Belt and eastern Canada, causing significant and economic damage to corn Zea mays (L.) and dry edible beans Phaseolus spp., in parts of this region. Since 2010, increasing challenges related to managing this pest in its new range prompted numerous research studies that provided new insights into the biology and management of western bean cutworm. This revision of a previous Journal of IPM profile summarizes new information regarding the ecology and biology of western bean cutworm, and discusses updated recommendations for scouting and management in corn and dry beans, with an emphasis in the expanded geographic range of the Great Lakes region.