St. Louis, MO, May 13, 2026 – As farmers begin to plant this season, corn rootworm is already starting to put pressure on their fields and yields. To help farmers better track and understand their corn rootworm pressure, which causes over $1 billion in losses each year, Bayer is launching its ninth year of The Watch. The Watch is a free program that helps farmers see their corn rootworm pressure and build proactive steps to minimize their damage next season through educational resources, tools and expert support. New to The Watch this year is an expanded beetle monitoring program, which will empower farmers to track and share corn rootworm data with Bayer.
“Each year, corn rootworm costs farmers across the United States over $1 billion in losses. As farmers begin planting this year, pest pressure may already be starting — that’s why The Watch is so critical, so that farmers can take data gleaned from sticky traps and develop proactive steps to combat corn rootworm in the future,” said Safeer Hassan, Bayer technical product lead for corn traits.
Hassan continued, “There’s no reliable in-season rescue treatment once larvae are feeding below ground or adult beetles are present, which is why proactive monitoring is so important. Our aim with The Watch is to raise awareness about corn rootworm and equip farmers with what they need to make those proactive decisions, guard their yield and fight back against this billion-dollar bug.”
How The Watch Can Help You
By signing up for The Watch, farmers will receive a Corn Rootworm Pressure Starter Kit, which includes four free* sticky traps. When strategically placed in fields, sticky traps can give farmers a better picture of where the highest pressure exists and where to take action next season.
In addition to sticky traps, farmers will have access to key educational resources on how to deploy and interpret sticky traps and on corn rootworm itself and the threat it poses. Additionally, Bayer experts will be on hand to provide hands-on support for farmers if they have further questions beyond the resources available.
New this year with The Watch is an adult beetle monitoring program. By opting into this program, farmers will receive a larger monitoring kit for more advanced, in-depth monitoring and will share data gleaned from those sticky traps with Bayer. This data presents a valuable educational opportunity to help more accurately inform pest pressure alerts and other future planning to the benefit of farmers across the country.
Farmers can sign up for The Watch now. July 7 is the deadline to request a free Corn Rootworm Pressure Starter Kit.
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 next season. Join The Watch, request your free starter kit and access tools to help defend your crop.
