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Take Back Your Lawn! How to Control Fall Armyworms

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Where did my nice, green lawn go?

Reports are coming in throughout the southern portion of the US, from St. Louis, MO to Charlotte, NC to Baton Rouge, LA to Augusta, GA of green lawns that seem to go from green to brown in as little as three days. The culprit – Fall Armyworm. Continue reading to learn how to control Fall Armyworms and take back your lawn.

What are Fall Armyworms?

Fall Armyworms do not live through the winter in most parts of the US, but the adult females migrate north from the Gulf Coast areas, and they can even come all the way from Central to South America. They don’t fly as much as ride the prevailing winds that push them northwards. It takes a while for them to make their way to the northern part of their region, which generally ranges to the southern half of lower Midwest states like Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. They can have up to four generations a year, but the largest populations seem to show up in the late summer into the fall. Female Fall Armyworms can lay up to 1,000 eggs, usually in masses of about 50 eggs. They will lay eggs on many different structures including trees, houses and even light poles. Within two weeks after being laid, the larvae will drop to the lawn and begin feeding. They feed for about two to three weeks before pupating. After another two weeks, a whole new brood of Fall Armyworm adults emerge and start the whole process again. Fall Armyworms feed on a range of plants, but they prefer turf, especially Bermudagrass, Fescues, Ryegrass, Bentgrass and Bluegrass. With all the rain that has fallen this year, most lawns are covered with lush green grass that has resulted in large populations moving across lawns in a mass, devouring what seems to be every blade of grass in a lawn. Fortunately, they only feed on the upper portion of the grass plant, so many times the plant will recover on its own.

What is the best way to control Fall Armyworms?

The larvae can be controlled with an insect control application. An application of fertilizer will help the turf recover faster as long as there is adequate moisture to activate the fertilizer. Your brown lawn may look bad for a couple of weeks, but in most cases the turf will recover. There is a good chance that some areas may see two generations this fall, so keep an eye out for the voracious feeders. They do have one interesting habit, though. They like to crawl up on the grass blades during the day, looking like they are enjoying a little sunshine and maybe working on their tan. This habit should make it easier to spot them as the year progresses. Want to learn more about Fall Armyworms? Get more information on their habits, prevention methods and more at Spring-Green.com. Be sure to check out some of the lawn care services we offer, too!