Fall Armyworms on the Move

— Written By
en Español / em Português
Español

El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.

Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.


Português

Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.

Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.


English

English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.

Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.

Collapse ▲

Doing a soap flush is one of the best ways to check for fall armyworm larvae activity in your lawn.

HOW TO CONDUCT A SOAPY-WATER FLUSH:

Step 1. Fill a container with 1-2 gallons (3.8-7.6 liters) of water. Put 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 milliliters) of lemon-scented liquid dish detergent. When using the solution on bentgrass, dilute the rate further to minimize turfgrass stress.

Step 2. Mix by hand until soap suds appear.

Step 3. Slowly pour the soap mixture over approximately one square yard (1 square meter) of turfgrass. When placing a soap flush, be sure to place in healthy turfgrass around damaged areas. Insects are less likely to be recovered from heavily-damaged turfgrass.

Step 4. Watch closely for 5-10 minutes for insects to emerge.

Note. Repeat applications of the soap mixture in different areas might be necessary to gain a full understanding of the insect’s population density.

The next question is – so you find activity, what are you going to do about it?

It is recommended to spray just as soon as you see activity because large fall armyworms can do a lot of damage in just a day or two.

What Products to Use?

Since infestations usually do not reoccur back in the same exact location in the same season, you would not need a treatment that provides long residual protection. You can use older products such as pyrethroids (bifenthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, deltamethrin, etc.) or carbaryl or acephate. These kill the worms quickly but only offer very short residual activity. Another option is to use “newer” products such as Provaunt, Acelepryn or Tetrino at the lower rate as you would not need the long residual control these product offer at higher rates.

What if you have high quality turf that does not currently have an infestation, are nervous with all the fall armyworms in other areas?

Possibly consider a preventive application to high quality turf that will protect the area until the end of fall armyworm season (which is first frost, but in reality once nights start cooling off). In North Carolina, we have about 6 more weeks of real threat, but problems can occur in October. So an intermediate rate of Acelepryn or Tetrino should get your through the danger zone with a high level of protection. Or one can keep a close eye on things (watch for birds as well) and spray as soon as you see an infestation with the products listed in the second question. They both work the same, but one is an insurance policy, the other a quick response approach.

Can fall armyworms really hurt bermuda or does it just grow back?

Late in the season when daylength is shorter and nights are cooler, bermuda can struggle to recover from the damage and it is reflected in slow growth early the next spring. We always want to put our warm season turf to rest for the winter in good health. A late fall armyworm attack can compromise that.

We are testing out a new, self-reporting fall armyworm map that will allow users to report fall armyworm activity and damage in real time. Please contribute and share!

Further reading