What's eating my 'glass gem' corn?

'Glass Gem' corn is an ornamental flour corn facing the same pests as other varieties: corn earworm in the ear tip, European corn borer in the stalk, and Japanese beetles on foliage and silks. Raccoons and squirrels are persistent at ripening. Bt spray on silks and electric fencing around the block are the most reliable solutions.

Larvae feed down from the silk into the ear tip; frass and damaged/discolored kernels found at harvest. Apply Bt spray to silks at first emergence. Mineral oil in the silk channel (a few drops after silks wilt) blocks entry. Pheromone traps for adult monitoring.

Tunnels in stalks causing lodging; bore holes in ears near the mid-point; stalks may snap at wound sites. Apply Bt kurstaki before larvae burrow in. Plant as a large block so the perimeter-to-interior ratio reduces edge exposure. Remove and destroy all stalks after harvest.

Husks torn open and kernels stripped; damage peaks as kernels approach maturity. Two-wire electric fence is the most effective deterrent for raccoons. For squirrels, hardware cloth cages around individual ears or a perimeter fence with an electric wire overhang.