hi guys joe here from lawn solutions australia army worm have assembled and are on the march
army worm can scalp an entire lawn in just a few days so make sure you take action urgently if
you see these pests marching their way across your lawn if you came to see fresh new lawn care videos
please hit the subscribe button here's what you need to know about armyworm.
army worms as their name suggests during the larval stages move together in large numbers
marching their way across foliage exhausting plant material as they go
during the day they can be found grouped together hiding near the stem of the grass near the soil
you may notice your lawn appears completely scalped of green leaf growth
with an almost uniform line of damage that is continuing to spread rapidly
once the lawn is stripped bare the armyworms then move on to find another source of food
armyworm unfortunately have a preference for healthy lawns these will be the most
appealing to them in the street so stay alert if this lawn is yours the life cycle can be 30
to 40 days which means they can occur several times over summer and autumn army worm can be
identified by the following characteristics two to forty millimeters in length with the mature
caterpillar around 30 to 40 millimeters three prominent white or cream stripes running down
the back and sides of their bodies they have no obvious hairs and they're smooth to touch
they will curl up when disturbed they have four abdominal prolegs a good way to detect armyworm
is to pour a bucket of soapy water over the lawn in a small area towards the edge of a
struggling or scalped lawn area mixing a small amount of dishwashing detergent with water
should do the trick observe the area for the next 10 minutes or so to see any army worm
caterpillars that will rise to the surface to breathe if they're present this is best done
at dusk at a time when the armyworm are most active at maturity the caterpillar works its
way into the soil and pupates before emerging as a moth after approximately 10 to 14 days
these moths are pale brown and identifiable by a distinct white spot in the middle of their
wing the presence of a moth itself is also an indicator that armyworm may be active in your area
treating armyworm is quite simple when using the right products it is important to act as quickly
as possible to ensure the damage they cause is limited apply a fast knock down liquid insecticide
to the leaf of a recently known lawn in the afternoon or early evening repeat applications
may be necessary over the coming weeks to ensure the armyworm is completely eradicated
when the army worm become active again in the evening they will feed on the recently treated
leaf granular grub control products can also be used but for a faster more efficient treatment
a liquid option would be the best some liquid treatment options include bathroom advance insect
killer for lawns grub guard and rich grow grub killer hose on an even better way to protect your
lawns from an armyworm attack is to use a product called a Acelepryn GR. Acelepryn GR is ideal for
long-term pest control providing both a curative treatment and protection to your lawn up to six
months once you have eliminated the army worm it's important to get the lawn recovering as quickly as
possible by removing any dead material watering regularly and by promoting new leaf growth check
out our recent video on liquid fertilizers for some ideas on how to get your lawn healthy again
or you can also visit a lawn solutions australia website for more information
thanks for watching don't forget to like and subscribe and we hope to catch you next time.