Don’t Let Corn Rootworm Steal Your Yield: Bayer Launches The Watch 2025

Free Scouting Tools and Expert Guidance Help Farmers Tackle One of Corn’s Costliest Pests

Corn rootworm remains one of the most damaging pests in U.S. corn production, causing an estimated $1 billion in losses each year. To help farmers get ahead of this underground threat, Bayer is launching its eighth year of The Watch, a farmer-first program that offers free tools, education and expert support to monitor corn rootworm pressure and make proactive management decisions.

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“Corn rootworm is a yield-robbing pest that attacks at every stage of its life cycle — from larvae feeding on roots underground to adult beetles above ground,” said Safeer Hassan, Bayer technical product lead for corn traits. “When root systems are compromised, the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients suffers, leading to reduced yield potential and increased vulnerability to other stresses.”

Often, corn rootworm damage goes unnoticed until it’s too late. “There’s no reliable in-season rescue treatment once larvae are feeding below ground or adult beetles are present, so proactive monitoring is critical,” Hassan added. “Farmers need to understand their corn rootworm pressure so they can adjust their management practices to achieve the best yield potential. If you don’t know your pest pressure from last year, you’re at greater risk.”

What The Watch Offers

By joining The Watch in 2025, farmers can gain a deeper understanding of corn rootworm life cycles and how to manage pressure through the season and beyond. The program delivers timely updates, expert insights and proven scouting methods like sticky trap placement. A key feature is the free* Corn Rootworm Pressure Starter Kit, available now through July 7, which includes sticky traps to monitor beetle activity and gather valuable data to inform future trait and treatment decisions.

“It’s critical that we help raise awareness around corn rootworm and empower farmers to act early,” Hassan said. “The Watch is about equipping farmers with what they need to help make informed decisions, protect their fields and maximize their yield potential — not just this season but for years to come.”

Join the #RootwormWatch Social Media Contest

This year, Bayer is also launching the #RootwormWatch social media contest, giving participating farmers a chance to win a premium portable electric cooler. After receiving their free kit and setting up sticky traps, farmers can enter by:

• Taking a photo of a trap and posting it to Facebook or X by August 20, 2025.
• Tagging @BayerTraits and using hashtags #RootwormWatch and #sweepstakes.
• No purchase is necessary to enter or win. Full contest rules and eligibility details can be found at https://traits.bayer.com/thewatchofficialrules.

Key Dates for The Watch 2025

• Corn Rootworm Week on June 1-7: A week of dedicated content across Bayer’s social media channels to raise awareness, spotlight best practices and showcase real solutions for battling this devastating pest.
• July 7: Deadline to request a free Corn Rootworm Pressure Starter Kit.
• August 20: Deadline to enter the #RootwormWatch social media contest.

The Crop Science division of Bayer offers cutting-edge corn trait solutions to help manage corn rootworm. SmartStax^® PRO with RNAi Technology is an industry leader for high-pressure environments, delivering more than double the root protection compared to competitor products** in medium to very high corn rootworm pressure environments. For farmers facing low to moderate corn rootworm pressure or additional threats like corn earworm or western bean cutworm, VT4PRO™ with RNAi Technology provides another powerful option.

Don’t wait until it’s too late — know your pressure and protect your yield potential. Join The Watch, request your free starter kit and access tools to help defend your crop: traits.bayer.com/thewatch.

*NoPurchNec. Ends 7/7/25. Open to U.S. commercial corn farmers, 21+. Full rules, eligibility, restrictions, and details at https://traits.bayer.com/thewatchofficialrules.

**94 2021-2023 Bayer Trials in the corn belt (CO, KS, NE, IA, IL, OH, ND, SD, MN, WI & NM) in low to high CRW pressure environments (as shown by a Node Injury Score on 0-3 scale of 0.5-3.0 in the non-CRW traited check). Products tested were in the 95-115 RM range with comparable trait packages.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2024, the Group employed around 93,000 people and had sales of 46.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

Bayer is a member of Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS). Bayer products are commercialized in accordance with ETS Product Launch Stewardship Guidance, and in compliance with Bayer’s Policy for Commercialization of Biotechnology-Derived Plant Products in Commodity Crops. Commercialized products have been approved for import into key export markets with functioning regulatory systems. Any crop or material produced from this product can only be exported to, or used, processed or sold in countries where all applicable regulatory approvals have been granted. It is a violation of national and international law to move material containing biotech traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted. Growers should talk to their grain handler or product purchaser to confirm their buying position for this product. Excellence Through Stewardship® is a registered trademark of Excellence Through Stewardship.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW PESTICIDE LABEL DIRECTIONS.

B.t. products may not yet be registered in all states. Check with your seed brand representative for the registration status in your state.

Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and environmental conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on their growing environment.

The recommendations in this material are based upon trial observations and feedback received from a limited number of growers and growing environments. These recommendations should be considered as one reference point and should not be substituted for the professional opinion of agronomists, entomologists or other relevant experts evaluating specific conditions.

IMPORTANT IRM INFORMATION: Certain products are sold as RIB Complete® corn blend products, and do not require the planting of a structured refuge except in the Cotton-Growing Area where corn earworm is a significant pest. Products sold without refuge in the bag (non-RIB Complete) require the planting of a structured refuge. See the IRM/Grower Guide for additional information. Always read and follow IRM requirements.

Roundup Ready® 2 Technology contains genes that confer tolerance to glyphosate. Plants that are not tolerant to glyphosate may be damaged or killed if exposed to those herbicides. Insect control technology provided by Vip3A is utilized under license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. Herculex® is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Agrisure Viptera® is a registered trademark of a Syngenta group company. Respect the Refuge and Corn Design® is a registered trademark of National Corn Growers Association. Bayer, Bayer Cross, RIB Complete®, Roundup Ready 2 Technology and Design®, Roundup Ready®, SmartStax® and VT4PRO™ are trademarks of Bayer Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. ©2025 Bayer Group. All rights reserved.

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By joining The Watch in 2025, farmers can gain a deeper understanding of corn rootworm life cycles and how to manage pressure through the season and beyond.