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ARMY WORMS BACK IN MY YARD!! Pics included

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DirkWiggler

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
For all of you that have never seen an Army Worm or know what kind of damage they can QUICKLY do, this is your thread. I will post pics of what my yard looked like and then the damage these guys did in LESS THAN 24 HOURS!! I had them twice last year and the first time they came I thought my chemical company had burned my yard because of the way the damage presents itself. They start at the perimeter and "March " while eating toward the center.
I thought they fertilized the peremiter then went back and forth thus doubling the fertilizer around peremiter resulting in a burn.

I went out to get my ZTR out of my shed and immediately saw the brown around the perimeter of the yard and I immediately knew! I just layed SEVIN Granules and that should kill them.

This is what my yard looked like yesterday. Not exaggerating, not joking....
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This is the damage in 24 hours. Not exaggerating, not joking...
On a positive note, they are not killing my grass, they are eating all the green off the blade. It will bounce back but these little guys will make you cuss like a sailor!
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They are small now.... about 1 inch long when stretches out. As they eat their way toward the center of my yard they will get about 2 inches long and much fatter. They will not stop eating on their own... they must be killed. They move MUCH FASTER than what you might think. If left unattended they can destroy a huge area in no time.

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I have no idea how they get in my yard. I had them 2 times last year and the guys that came out to lay granules told me they had not seen an Army worm in 10 years. I wonder if birds pick them up and drop them in my yard? Any idea how to prevent them? It is frustrating to spend so much time and $$$ getting my yard right then these guys can destroy it in a day.
 
#2 ·
Comes with the territory of having a nice bermuda lawn. My customers are instructed to call me immediately if they find any kind of brown area suddenly appearing in their lawns. I will be there within 24 hours. For armyworm and their local relative, the tropical sod webworm, I keep both Dylox 420 SL and Demand CS on hand.

These destructive turf caterpillars come from moths flying around. The moths lay eggs on surfaces and the caterpillars hatch, landing in the grass.
 
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Discussion starter · #3 ·
greendoctor said:
Comes with the territory of having a nice bermuda lawn. My customers are instructed to call me immediately if they find any kind of brown area suddenly appearing in their lawns. I will be there within 24 hours. For armyworm and their local relative, the tropical sod webworm, I keep both Dylox 420 SL and Demand CS on hand.

These destructive turf caterpillars come from moths flying around. The moths lay eggs on surfaces and the caterpillars hatch, landing in the grass.
Click to expand...
Thanks for letting me know where they come from. I had no idea. I will research your chemical of chice and see if it is available around me. I can't get over how fast tgese guys operate! Thanks again.
 
#4 ·
Dylox is normally used for grubs, but it is the fastest caterpillar killer I know of. I remember treating a bermuda lawn with Dylox. No sooner I walked out the gate to put away my spray equipment, did the army worm and sod webworm start crawling out of the grass. Homeowner was glad to see that because the brown lawn was being blamed on everything else.
 
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Discussion starter · #5 ·
greendoctor said:
Dylox is normally used for grubs, but it is the fastest caterpillar killer I know of. I remember treating a bermuda lawn with Dylox. No sooner I walked out the gate to put away my spray equipment, did the army worm and sod webworm start crawling out of the grass. Homeowner was glad to see that because the brown lawn was being blamed on everything else.
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I blamed it on everything else too until I educated myself. I just wish I knew how to prevent them from ever showing up.
 
#6 ·
Unfortunately, there is not legal way to prevent them. Showing my age, I had a neighbor who soaked his lawn in chlordane when it was still on the market. He is the only one who did not deal with armyworm and sod webworm on a regular basis compared to everyone else who did not do that.
 
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#7 ·
DirkWiggler said:
I blamed it on everything else too until I educated myself. I just wish I knew how to prevent them from ever showing up.
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The parents of the armyworms look for the healthiest turf to lay their larvae. They want to be good parents & make sure their baby's have the best food possible.

You have an outstanding stand of turf. The moths think so also. Foliage feeding insects will be attracted to your outstanding turf. With outstanding turf many problems disappear thou Foliage feeding insects will increase.
 
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#8 ·
Well said. I have to watch my lawns. Green, low cut bermuda or seashore paspalum might as well have a bull's eye painted in the middle of it.
 
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#9 ·
I have observed one more thing: days prior to a lawn looking brown and eaten, birds visit the lawn during the daylight hours to pick up the caterpillars. Therefore, my customers are also instructed to let me know if birds take a special interest in their lawn.
 
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#10 ·
Often customers associate this with drought and start to increase water....then call as it gets worse. Bifen is a good cheap spray that got my trouble lawns last year.

Been in business 12-13 years and last year was the first time I can remember spraying for them....or maybe it was just a widespread outbreak. Haven't seen any this year but I've heard they are in the area.
 
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#11 ·
Greendoc, your a true observationist. Here in Florida. You will see webworms in crabgrass first before the desired turf. From the sky the crabgrass is greener in patches so the gypsy moth will lay their larvae there.
 
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#12 ·
I was at a lawn last week where the cardinals were picking things out of the lawn as I was rolling the mower back onto the truck. Lawn got the Demand CS before I left.
 
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Discussion starter · #13 ·
greendoctor said:
I was at a lawn last week where the cardinals were picking things out of the lawn as I was rolling the mower back onto the truck. Lawn got the Demand CS before I left.
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Funny you mention birds. The first time I dealt with this (last year) in the morning my yard was covered with birds. I even said something to my wife about all the birds in the yard. I had no idea the "Circle of Life" was going on right before our eyes!:laugh::laugh: It was and all you could eat buffet for the birds
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
GreenDoctor, you mentioned Dylox 420 and another product. I just looked these products up and from what I can tell the Dylox 420 is the choice for a large area such as my entire yard and the other looks like a spot treatment, is that correct? If so, the ratio for application is 4.6 to 6.9 Oz per 1000 sq ft. I am not a pro but I am usually somewhat good with math but does the volume of the mix go up or down based on my pace of walking? Do you apply this product with a backpack sprayer? If so, is your mix rate 4.6-6.9 ounces of product to one gallon of water and you try to apply one gallon of solution per 1000 sq ft? The Sevin Granules (6.3%) I put down last night have not killed them. I am not sure how long they take to work but I followed the label including watering the product in. It might be a good idea to have Dylox 420 on hand. I have read I can potentially expect another round of these guys in 2 weeks.
 
#17 ·
Judging by the blurry picture that appears to be a sod web worm. It appears the worm is mainly green like a sod web worm. Army worms are more multi colored with stripes along the body. Regardless you need to do a liquid treatment for faster knockdown.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
GreenThumb11 said:
Judging by the blurry picture that appears to be a sod web worm. It appears the worm is mainly green like a sod web worm. Army worms are more multi colored with stripes along the body. Regardless you need to do a liquid treatment for faster knockdown.
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I have the multi colored ones too. Green and black, have seen some solid black ones too. Those (put your own cuss word here) are everywhere. I just came home real fast to check the progress. I America seeing some that are still and when I touch it hem they move. Hopefully that means the granules are hitting them.... However, there are PLENTY that are still thriving and having a grass eating contest at my expense. What liquid do you recommend? I have dogs too. One more zinger, it is sprinkling and it looks like a heavy rain soon. Weather calling for storms the next 4-5 days. I need to hit them with something that acts fast!
 
#19 ·
Acelepryn is the best but the quantity and price of it is not cost effective for a homeowner. Cypermethrin or Bifen will give you quick knockdown but you will have to re apply every 7-10 days. I would see if a lawn applicator near you could use acelepryn. Way more effective than using cyper or bifen. Beautiful lawn by the way!
 
#20 ·
DirkWiggler said:
GreenDoctor, you mentioned Dylox 420 and another product. I just looked these products up and from what I can tell the Dylox 420 is the choice for a large area such as my entire yard and the other looks like a spot treatment, is that correct? If so, the ratio for application is 4.6 to 6.9 Oz per 1000 sq ft. I am not a pro but I am usually somewhat good with math but does the volume of the mix go up or down based on my pace of walking? Do you apply this product with a backpack sprayer? If so, is your mix rate 4.6-6.9 ounces of product to one gallon of water and you try to apply one gallon of solution per 1000 sq ft? The Sevin Granules (6.3%) I put down last night have not killed them. I am not sure how long they take to work but I followed the label including watering the product in. It might be a good idea to have Dylox 420 on hand. I have read I can potentially expect another round of these guys in 2 weeks.
Click to expand...
Ok, the way I typically spray a smaller residential lawn is with a 7 gallon engine drive backpack sprayer. 2 GPM. 350 PSI. Of course, this output goes through a hand piece that turns it into a lower pressure fan spray at 40 PSI. I set up to apply 2-3 gallons of mixed spray per 1000 sq ft, so the 6.9 oz of Dylox goes into 2 gallons and multiplied up for larger areas. The Demand is just as good for area wide applications. Take note of the low application rate per 1000 sq ft. Application technique is to spray and walk at a steady pace. If there are no obstacles or narrow areas in the lawn, I put a 3 nozzle boom on the backpack and cover a lot of area fast.

I saw your little fur baby in one of the pictures. They will be fine if you spray and keep them inside for an hour or two to let the spray dry. Demand is murder on fleas and ticks, so that is one of the things I keep around for when people suspect their lawns are harboring fleas.
 
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DirkWiggler
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