Weekly Fall Armyworm Counts Available Online for the 2026 Season

Fall armyworms were a challenge for Kansas producers in 2025 and efforts to track this pest’s arrival and distribution across the state in 2026 will be ongoing. Pheromone traps to attract moths will be deployed at various locations across Kansas and checked weekly for the presence and number of moths at each location.

In the short term, the purpose of these traps is to detect moths as early as possible in order to know when to start scouting for caterpillars in at-risk commodities. Remember, fall armyworm is a migratory pest from southern states with no fixed arrival date, and female moths are ready to lay eggs as soon as they arrive in the state. In the long term, multiple seasons of trapping data for fall armyworm will help understand its seasonality and general distribution in Kansas throughout the growing season, enabling better preparation and management of this pest. In general, each year will be different, and there is no guarantee that fall armyworm will reach outbreak status. If this happens, trap counts could serve as an early warning system for abnormally high moth flights and subsequent egg laying.

Beginning this year, these weekly moth counts will be available to view online through a new partnership with the Great Lakes and Maritime Pest Monitoring Network (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/7164d23d488246d198dcf7a07d8c9021/page/Home?views=Welcome). Instructions for navigating the website and viewing moth counts can be found below (Figures 1-4).

Figure 1. From the landing page, select “Moth Counts” (circled in red).

Figure 1. From the landing page, select “Moth Counts” (circled in red).

Figure 2. In the upper right region of the map, select the pest filter icon and choose “Fall Armyworm”.

Figure 2. In the upper right region of the map, select the pest filter icon and choose “Fall Armyworm”.
Figure 3. Colored dots will appear on the map for the selected pest.

Figure 3. Colored dots will appear on the map for the selected pest.

Figure 4. Left-click the desired dot to view trap details and available weekly count reports.

Figure 4. Left-click the desired dot to view trap details and available weekly count reports.

Stay tuned for more updates on fall armyworm in Kansas as the season progresses. In the meantime, refer to the following K-State Extension publications for more information on fall armyworm management considerations.

Corn Insect Pest Management - https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/corn-insect-pest-management-2025_MF810.pdf

Sorghum Insect Pest Management - https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/sorghum-insect-pest-management-2025_MF742.pdf

Wheat Insect Pest Management - https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/wheat-insect-pest-management-2025_MF745.pdf

Anthony Zukoff, Instructor of Entomology – Garden City
azukoff@ksu.edu