Healthy turfgrass may tolerate low to moderate amounts of damage and can recover with watering and fertilization.
Spot treatment may provide early control without applying insecticide to the entire lawn. Small armyworms (greenish in color) are much easier to control than caterpillars nearing their full-grown length of 1.5 to 2 inches. Carefully scout to determine the number, size, and distribution of fall armyworms and the condition of the turfgrass. See photo 2.Įvaluate the turfgrass health and vigor, the size of the caterpillars, the amount of feeding damage, and the time till expected frost when determining if insecticide treatment is warranted.įall Armyworm Control Suggestions for Home Lawns Fully grown caterpillars are 1.5 to 2 inches in length and may be green, brown, or black with light stripes. Fall armyworms are tiny and green with a black head when they hatch, but they grow quickly and become darker with age. You will not need to dig in the soil to find them. They may conceal in the heat of the day, but they live above ground and feed on the grass blades. Scout lawns for armyworms by carefully inspecting the turfgrass. Photo: Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, Damage is worst in new seedings and plantings less than one year old and in turf-type tall fescue more than Kentucky bluegrass.Įarly instar fall armyworm caterpillars are greenish in color. Turfgrass damage has been widespread but spotty through the eastern 2/3 of Iowa. Spraying insecticides on egg masses is not advised.īy mid-September the egg masses had hatched, and large numbers of fall armyworm caterpillars were seen feeding in some lawns and causing noticeable damage. Egg masses can be removed by gently scraping, followed by brushing or scrubbing with soapy water. The arriving female moths “dumped” their eggs where they landed and the tan-to-buff, fuzzy or furry egg masses containing 100 to 500 shiny, spherical eggs were found on trees, house siding, playground equipment, birdhouses, bird feeders, posts, poles, golf carts, etc. Multiple generations of fall armyworms in the South created enormous populations of moths that were blown into Iowa by storms in late August. 
Severe ddamage was reported from Oklahoma to Georgia and Indiana to Maryland. The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, caused unprecedented infestation and destruction of turfgrass on golf courses and home lawns in the southeastern U.S.
Photo by Rob Lindsay, Coldwater Golf Links, Ames IA Fall armyworm egg mass on golf course flag pole.
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