Corn Insect Pests in Mississippi

A number of insects feed on corn and can potentially reduce yield. Many pests, such as chinch bugs, southern corn rootworms, cutworms, wireworms, and white grubs, are found at or below the soil surface and do their most significant damage early in the season. Other pests, such as corn borers, tunnel into corn stalks or feed on ears, such as corn earworms. The following links to photographs should help identify common insect pests found in corn. 

Larva of southwestern corn borer (summer phase) feeding in ear 

Egg of corn earworm on dried silks 

Below-ground insect pests

Stand loss caused by soil insects

Seedcorn maggots feeding within seed

Cutworms attacking small plants 

Wireworm 

Southern corn rootworm larvae, adult, and healthy vs. damaged seedling

White grub 

Sugarcane beetle 

Maize billbug 

Other common insect pests 

Adult chinch bug and scouting technique 

Corn earworm moth 

Corn earworm larva on leaf (l), in ear (c), and leaf-feeding damage to whorl (r) 

Fall armyworm moths, male (l), female (c), and larva (r)

Southwestern corn borer moth (l), egg mass (c), and two-day-old eggs (r)

Southwestern corn borer larva (l), leaf-feeding damage (c), and pupa inside stalk (r)

Overwintering southwestern corn borer (l) and girdled stalk (r)

European corn borer moth 

European corn borer larva and leaf breakage from midrib feeding

Stink bug adult (l) and cow-horned ear from its feeding (r)

This publication was funded by a grant from the William White Special Project Awards Program.

By Scott Stewart, Henry Pitre, Blake Layton, entomologists, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University; and Frank Davis, entomologist, USDA-ARS. 

Mississippi State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, or veteran status. 

Publication 2252 
Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtherance of Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. RONALD A. BROWN, Director

Copyright by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved.

This document may be copied and distributed for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.