The Purdue Ag Centers (PACs) throughout the state have faithfully been capturing, and counting, armyworm moths throughout the spring. From the recent surge in moth numbers, it is obvious that the next generation of armyworm has begun. These moths will be attracted to dense, lush grasses of all types. This could be pastures, uncontrolled grass weeds in field crops, or even ornamental grasses at home. Many years, this is the “back 40” that gets planted and neglected because of distance or inaccessibility. Consider, Bt-traits will have little to no suppression of armyworm this late in the season. Because of the current maturity of small grains and grassy cover-crops, they won’t likely be targeted for egg-laying by this surge. Though with this large of a moth flight, there will be unique fields that will be attacked by this pest. Predicting which ones…good luck with that.
Mid July armyworm damage in a late-planted, grassy cornfield.
