Fall Army Worm

The fall army worm can cause serious damage to all types of turf grasses when coupled with summer heat stress, they may cause major thinning of your lawn. Description: The adult moths have wings with a rather common background color of dull brown, gray, and black, with no outstanding prominent identifying marks. They will tend to venture to street lights or lamp posts at night time. The larvae (caterpillars) have background colors of essentially dull gray or brown to nearly black, but are interspersed with minor amounts of brighter colors, mainly in the stripes. What Do I Look For? Army worms may hide during the day in the thatch, but older larvae do not hide during the day because they feed continuously. Fall army worm feeding damage is similar in appearance to that caused by excessive fertilization or herbicide injury. The presence of army worms can be verified by parting the grass stems to the ground and looking for the presence of the army worms, chewed leaves, or piles of small, greenish to brown colored pellets they leave as excrement. These waste piles will be very noticeable in heavily infested areas. The fall army worm migrates north each year from the southernmost regions of North America. Fall army worm moths arrive in July, and there are at least 2 generations each season before the moths migrate south in the fall. Control and Management: This insect is controlled in the larval stage through an application of surface insect control. It is important however, to remember to water this product in ensure control. Also, make sure to have your lawn aerated once a year to help reduce thatch.