Vegetable Program
Insect Management

European Corn Borer

European corn borer (ECB) is an introduced pest that has spread across much of eastern and central North America. In vegetable crops, ECB is a pest of both sweet corn and peppers.

The number of generations of ECB ranges from 1 per year in the extreme north to 4 per year in the southeastern U.S. Most of the range within the U.S. has two generations of ECB per year; sometime these co-exist with a strain that has one generation per year. In New England, there are two strains of ECB: the Iowa (E) and New York (Z) strain, which are present in different ratios in different regions.

In northern areas, larvae overwinter in stalks of corn and other host plants, and pupate in the spring. In New England adult moths emerge from mid May to early June and mate in weedy or grassy areas. Fields that have been in field corn, sweet corn, or peppers for a long time will have higher pressure from ECB than other fields. 

photo of ECB egg masses (left-parasitised mass, right-unparasitised)

photo by Amanda Brown

ECB catapillar on corn

ECB catapillar eating inside pepper

ECB adult

For Current information on production methods (including varieties, spacing, seeding, and fertility), weed, disease, and insect management, please visit the New England Vegetable Management Guide website.

Below you will find additional information on managing this insect, including photos, fact sheets, articles, and power point presentations, when available.

Articles

• Managing European corn borer in sweet corn
• Biological Control of ECB Using Parasitic Wasps
• IPM Guidelines

Publications

• Using IPM in the Field: Sweet Corn Insect Management Field Scouting Guide