This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Fall Army Worms Are Killing Your Grass!

If you have brown, drought-looking patches in your yard, they are not the result of lack of rain!  I think it rained every single day this summer or least it feels that way.  They could, however, be from fall army worms.  This is the caterpillar stage of a particular moth, and they do most of their damage between August and October.  There are several species of army worms, but the fall army worm is more common in the Southeastern states.  The moth of the fall army worm has a grayish brown, mottled-looking forewing and silver-white hind wing with a narrow dark colored border.  There is also a white spot near the tip of the forewing.

The adult moth lays eggs in clusters or rows on the lower leaves of corn plants and grass.  They then cover the eggs with a layer of grayish scales that give it a furry or moldy appearance.  The newly hatched larvae are a greenish color with a black head, but they will turn more brownish or gray with each instar (typically about 6 instars total).  They will also form white to yellowish lines running down the length of the body.  Dark spots can be found on the top side of each segment, and the dots form a square on the next to last segment.  The most mature army worms are 1.5 to 2 inches in length.  A distinguishing marking on the fall army worm is an inverted “Y” shape on the head.

The diet of fall army worms consists of grasses and small grain crops including corn, sorghum, Bermuda grass, and fescue.  Because the larger caterpillars do most of the damage, an outbreak may go unnoticed until it appears as though the damage occurred overnight.  Once the food supply in one area is gone, they will move like an “army” to the next available food source.  Army worms are generally kept under control by predators such as ground beetles, ants, spiders, birds, and rodents.  There are also parasitic enemies that keep the number of larvae under control.  Chemical control is sometimes necessary to keep them from destroying your lawn or crops. We can help you with all of your Pest Control needs, visit us via the original blog post and give us a call! Make sure you mention you read this story on Patch!

Find out what's happening in Gwinnettwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Find out what's happening in Gwinnettwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Content Distribution Provided By Freskos Media an Atlanta Internet Marketing Company



We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?