The head is brown with dark honeycombed markings. The full-grown 1-1/2 inch armyworm has a greenish brown body with a thin stripe down the center and two orange stripes along each side. Cool, wet, spring weather usually favors armyworm development. In these systems, eggs may be laid on grasses within the field prior to planting and herbicides may force armyworms to feed on corn as the weeds or cover crop dies. In no-till or reduced tillage systems, infestation may cover the entire field. The name armyworm derives from its behavior of migrating in large numbers into fields similar to invading armies. In conventional tillage systems, partially- grown larvae can migrate into corn fields from grassy waterways or wheat fields, damage is usually first noticeable around the field margins adjacent to these areas. Infestations usually first develop in fields of small grains or in other grass cover crops. The armyworm, or true armyworm, is a common early season pest that can cause occasional losses in corn and should be monitored for in the spring. University of Kentucky College of Agriculture This 14-minute video is available in Amharic, English, French, Kiembu, Kiswahili, Portugese, Spanush, and Tamil.ENTFACT-109: Armyworms in Corn | Download PDF by Ric Bessin, Extension Entomologist It is important to do scouting because without it, you will not have a harvest at the end of the day. Visit your field twice a week for the first six weeks and kill any egg masses and young armyworms by hand. Spraying pesticides is expensive and usually cannot control this pest. The video is 15 minutes long and available in Amharic, English, French, Kiembu, Kiswahili, Portugese, Spanish, and Tamil. This video explains why, and as well as some natural solutions to deal with Fall armyworms. Farmers usually think spraying pesticides is the solution to this problem, however it can actually make the situation worse. These videos from Access Agriculture provide some important information.įall armyworms damage plants, especially maize. Farmers need information on how to identify this caterpillar, how to monitor their fields for damage, and how to control this pest. Since then it has spread across the continent. The Fall armyworm is a caterpillar that was first introduced to West Africa two years ago.

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