
Generally, there are two ways to get rid of armyworms:īoth methods have their advantages and drawbacks. Getting rid of armyworms is super easy if you follow the right procedures. Now that I’ve explained what these insects are and how to identify them, it is time to discuss how to kill them. If there are larvae underneath the sand, they will come up to the surface in about 10 minutes. So to flush them out, mix water with liquid soap, and pour this liquid over the patch of grass. We know that armyworms hide beneath the sand during the day. If a large portion of your lawn’s grass is gone in a few days, chances are that the armyworms are your culprits.Īnd yet another way to determine the culprit is to draw them out. The stripes can be yellow for Fall Armyworms and light for Beet Armyworms.Īnother way to identify an armyworm infestation is to observe the extent of the damage. They are 1 ½ to 2 inches in length and have stripes over their bodies.

If your lawn has armyworms, you’ll find them feeding on the underside of leaves. Therefore, your best bet to see whether your lawn has armyworms or not is to catch them in the act.įor this, you’ll need to grab your torch and go on a hunt at nighttime. When the night falls, they come out to feed. They hide in the thatch and beneath the sand when the sun is out. But if you can identify these insects early on, you can prevent a lot of damage.Īrmyworms are not visible during the day. After this period, the caterpillars turn into moths and fly away, leaving your lawn a wasteland.Īll of this might sound a bit scary and you might think that your lawn doesn’t stand a chance against these insects. This cycle of hiding and feeding continues for 10 days.

Once the larvae have emerged, they will hide during the day and sleep during the night. Thus, effectively creating an army of larvae that would emerge as caterpillars 5 to 10 days later. The moth Spodoptera Mauritia begins laying eggs in early summer and continues to lay a whooping 500 eggs every night.Īnd so, over the course of a typical summer month, the moth can lay upwards of 15000 eggs. These caterpillars are called armyworms because they march through your lawns in large numbers just like an army. Armyworms 101: What Are They and How to Identify Them?Īrmyworms are caterpillars of the moth Spodoptera Mauritia. For more information, read full disclosure here. If you shop through the links on YardThyme, we may earn an affiliate's commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
