• By Luis Espino, UC Rice Farming Systems Adviser, Butte and Glenn counties •
The California armyworm monitoring season has started. The first traps were set April 19, and two more sites were set up on April 30.
More traps will be set up in the following weeks as growers finish their ground work and get ready for planting.
Interestingly, the first set of traps caught an unusually high number of western yellowstriped armyworm moths, about 20 per night for the last 10 days. It is not clear what this will mean for rice, but we will monitor closely.
Like last year, the trap numbers will be updated on the University of California Rice website once more sites are established.
You also can sign up on the site to receive armyworm alerts.