E
early riser
Guest
Several posts have already been made about army worms, but I thought a quick post and some information about them may ready some of us for what may be coming down the road to our food plot plantings.
I have a bottle of malathion at camp, and some spectracide concentrate ready for what might happen, but am thinking I may pick up an extra bottle or two of spray should we have an outbreak of army worms again this year. At least the chemicals will already be at camp should we need them and we won't have to run out looking for chemicals should we have these bad worms turn up again this year! I know several of us had a few bouts with army worms last year, so BE READY!
The weekend before Labor Day I noticed the worms had taken to defoliating several of our Saw Tooth Oaks at Crabapple, and I mixed up a gallon tank of spray and hit them with it.
Everyone may want to pay particular attention to your young plots in the coming week or two because the night time temps are starting to get cooler and this is the "PRIME TIME" for ARMY WORMS!!!
http://www.walterreeves.com/insects_animals/article.phtml?cat=21&id=37
"The insecticides Dursban, Sevin and Bacillus thuringensis are recommended. Spray at night, when the caterpillars are feeding.Fall armyworms rarely kill grass but some lawns may be severely weakened. If you suspect fall armyworms but can not find the caterpillars on the grass, use a soap flush to bring them to the surface. Feeding damage, coupled with damage from the recent drought, may justify applying insecticides. Experts say 5 or more caterpillars per square foot in turf might be a reasonable treatment threshold.
Carbaryl (Sevin), deltamethrin, permethrin and other insecticides are effective caterpillar killers. Products containing B.t. are effective only on small (1/2 inch or less) worms. Treat in late afternoon, when the caterpillars are likely to begin feeding."
http://www.tulsamastergardeners.org/insects/armyworm.shtml
"Wheat: Rank or dense fields of grasses or wheat are the common infestation sites for true armyworms. Scouting for true armyworms is best done at night or during early morning hours since armyworm larvae are mainly nocturnal feeders. They usually remain hidden on bright, sunny days. Producers should beginning scouting their wheat fields for this pest from mid-April until harvest. Take note of larval sizes, percent parasitism and the insect’s ‘pepper-like’ droppings on the ground".
http://www.ipm.missouri.edu/armyworms.htm
Wheat: "Insecticide treatment is warranted when an average of four or more non-parasitized, half-grown or larger true armyworm larvae per square foot are present during late spring and before two to three percent of the heads are cut from the plants. Parasitic flies commonly attack true armyworm larvae, and the flies’ small, oval, yellowish eggs are laid on the larva’s body and/or behind its head. The probability of yield loss increases when larvae destroy the flag leaf and before the plants complete the soft dough stage. Insecticides should be applied late in the afternoon to maximize larval exposure to insecticides."
http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/subjects/CornPests/armyworm.htm
Some of the information pertains to spring army worms, but the damage, confirmations, control & killing methods are the same for both spring and fall worm infestations.
early riser
I have a bottle of malathion at camp, and some spectracide concentrate ready for what might happen, but am thinking I may pick up an extra bottle or two of spray should we have an outbreak of army worms again this year. At least the chemicals will already be at camp should we need them and we won't have to run out looking for chemicals should we have these bad worms turn up again this year! I know several of us had a few bouts with army worms last year, so BE READY!
The weekend before Labor Day I noticed the worms had taken to defoliating several of our Saw Tooth Oaks at Crabapple, and I mixed up a gallon tank of spray and hit them with it.
Everyone may want to pay particular attention to your young plots in the coming week or two because the night time temps are starting to get cooler and this is the "PRIME TIME" for ARMY WORMS!!!
http://www.walterreeves.com/insects_animals/article.phtml?cat=21&id=37
"The insecticides Dursban, Sevin and Bacillus thuringensis are recommended. Spray at night, when the caterpillars are feeding.Fall armyworms rarely kill grass but some lawns may be severely weakened. If you suspect fall armyworms but can not find the caterpillars on the grass, use a soap flush to bring them to the surface. Feeding damage, coupled with damage from the recent drought, may justify applying insecticides. Experts say 5 or more caterpillars per square foot in turf might be a reasonable treatment threshold.
Carbaryl (Sevin), deltamethrin, permethrin and other insecticides are effective caterpillar killers. Products containing B.t. are effective only on small (1/2 inch or less) worms. Treat in late afternoon, when the caterpillars are likely to begin feeding."
http://www.tulsamastergardeners.org/insects/armyworm.shtml
"Wheat: Rank or dense fields of grasses or wheat are the common infestation sites for true armyworms. Scouting for true armyworms is best done at night or during early morning hours since armyworm larvae are mainly nocturnal feeders. They usually remain hidden on bright, sunny days. Producers should beginning scouting their wheat fields for this pest from mid-April until harvest. Take note of larval sizes, percent parasitism and the insect’s ‘pepper-like’ droppings on the ground".
http://www.ipm.missouri.edu/armyworms.htm
Wheat: "Insecticide treatment is warranted when an average of four or more non-parasitized, half-grown or larger true armyworm larvae per square foot are present during late spring and before two to three percent of the heads are cut from the plants. Parasitic flies commonly attack true armyworm larvae, and the flies’ small, oval, yellowish eggs are laid on the larva’s body and/or behind its head. The probability of yield loss increases when larvae destroy the flag leaf and before the plants complete the soft dough stage. Insecticides should be applied late in the afternoon to maximize larval exposure to insecticides."
http://www.agctr.lsu.edu/subjects/CornPests/armyworm.htm
Some of the information pertains to spring army worms, but the damage, confirmations, control & killing methods are the same for both spring and fall worm infestations.
early riser
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