Over the last several weeks there have been a lot of discussions in Georgia about using foliar insecticide applications to target lesser cornstalk borer (LCB). The major constraint to this approach is less about the efficacy of the insecticides than it is about our inability to get products to the pest. LCB larvae spend most of their time inside plant stems, silk tubes, or below the soil surface where they feed on pods.
At this point in the season nearly all fields will have enough vine growth that contacting the areas where LCBs reside with foliar sprays will not be possible. Growers should not expect a foliar insecticide application in late July to provide a significant reduction in LCB populations.
