Corey Gerber knows a few things about crop scouting, to say the least. You might say he’s an expert in knowing both the right and wrong things to do in terms of preventing pest damage.

Gerber, a Purdue University agronomist, manages the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center. Every summer at the Agronomy Center for Research and Education, he and his crew host hundreds of farmers and ag business professionals who want to learn about pest management. Part of their job is to make sure they have plots that show properly managed crops. The other part is to create plots where they "goof" on purpose. Maybe it’s a wrong setting on a planter or sprayer. Perhaps they actually introduce an insect on purpose. They even maintain a weed garden with dozens of species of weeds.

The idea is to create damage of various kinds so people can learn to recognize what it looks like, and become proficient at tracking down the cause, Gerber explains.

Part of the secret is knowing when to look for various pests during the season, Gerber says. Many insects develop in relation to how many growing degree days have accumulated. That varies based upon the temperature patterns during the season. For example, rootworm larval hatch can begin anywhere from the last days of May to the second week of June, depending upon the season.

Gerber and his staff developed scouting calendars for pests and diseases, indicating when it’s important to look for a wide range of pests. The calendars are included in the Corn and Soybean Field Guide published by the Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center.

You can also see a soybean calendar in this story from earlier in the week. Check out the corn calendar below.