Topic: Sweetcorn - what is eating the silky floppy bits?

[Smileyk]

I've got sweetcorn in the garden and they are forming well (can't wait!) but I noticed today that some of the floppy silky bits have been eaten.  One had a small beetle on it and another had three small round bettle type things on it (they were black).  I flicked them off but I don't know if they are good or bad.

Does it matter if the floppy silky bits (do they have a read name? LOL) get eaten and are my cobs at risk???

[tim]

Don't know about beetles - Earwigs, yes Bad! And Mice I see on the forum!

The 'silks' are important - being the female receptors.

[saddad]

Yes as they catch the pollen to make the cobs swell... compare with chinese corn in stir fries where it is harvested before pollination... probably earwigs but might be molluscs with the amount of rain we are having..
 :-\

[Smileyk]

Eek, best keep a closer eye on them then.

Thanks :)

[saddad]

each silk goes to one kernel... unless the whole silk goes you should still get some corn but you might get irregular fertilisation which spoils th look of the corn for corn on the cob...
 :(

[quizzical1]

....but does it matter if the cobs are already beginning to swell? Doesn't that mean that the "silks" have done their bit?

[AlanP]

That happened to mine last year, but it was after the cobs had been pollinated, it didn't seem to effect the corn as we had a very good crop.  Usually as soon as the silks appear they are pollinated so once they have done their job I don't suppose it matters.
It makes my mouth water just thinking about those nice juicy cobs, running with butter and covered with salt