Overwintering occurs in the pupal stage, but this stage cannot survive the winter in Alabama. Because development can be 2 to 4 weeks, it is possible to have four or more generations per year. At this point, larvae burrow into the soil and form pupae from which moths emerge in about 10 to 14 days. The body segments have four spots each with the spots on the posterior segment arranged in a square (Figure 6).ĭevelopment from egg to fully grown larva requires about 2 to 3 weeks. The “face” is marked with a light- colored inverted “Y” (Figure 5). The larger size and the presence of stripes can separate them from the various webworms that also occur in turfgrass. However, on maintained turf that is mowed regularly, fall armyworm larvae spend the warmer hours of the day deep in the turf.Īrmyworms are among the largest larvae found in turfgrass. On tall, unmowed turf, fall armyworms are obvious when feeding on foliage during the day (Figure 1). They are most active on turf in early morning or late afternoon/early evening, but they may feed any time of the day. Biologyįall armyworm caterpillars damage grass by chewing plant tissue. Fall armyworms also attack fescue, ryegrass, bluegrass, and bentgrass. They attack a variety of plants, including turfgrasses but seem to prefer well-fertilized and maintained bermudagrasses. The fall armyworm has been an annual pest on crops in the Southeast for more than 100 years. Most armyworms are large caterpillars with long stripes lengthwise on the body and some type of netlike pattern on the head. They often feed openly and conspicuously, sometimes during the day, making themselves relatively easy to spot.
Armyworms are most notably seen “marching” in large numbers across lawns.
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