URBANA, Illinois - The bugs may be coming out sooner.
The University of Illinois Extension is reporting some central Illinois farmers are already seeing the emergence of adult Western Corn Root worms.
Larvae were spotted at the University's research farm northeast of Urbana. Usually they don't appear until about the Fourth of July.
Entomologist Joe Spencer says he now expects the first beetle emergence will occur in about two weeks. The northern two-thirds of Illinois is prone to rootworm damage.
The Extension Service also says Japanese beetles were spotted in southern Illinois. That's about two weeks earlier than usual.