Bert Swope
As their name suggests, armyworms move in large groups, which means that they can do serious damage to your garden and crops.
Luckily, there are a number of ways you can prevent, control, and get rid of these pests. These include trapping, monitoring, cultivation, and pesticides.
Trapping
Armyworms are a serious pest in the vegetable garden. They can cause damage to your plants by chewing leaves, buds, and stems. If you find that your tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, broccoli, and cauliflower are getting chewed up by these insects, you need to control them quickly.
There are several ways to trap armyworms and prevent them from wreaking havoc in your garden. Some effective methods include handpicking, spraying, and introducing beneficial insects.
Birds are a natural predator of armyworms, and they are especially good at eating them before they can cause damage to your plants. Keeping your garden free of trash and plant debris can also reduce their chances of causing an infestation.
Pheromone traps are another good way to catch armyworms before they invade your garden. These traps use chemicals that mimic a female moth’s odor to attract male moths to the trap. The moths then get stuck in the trap and can’t fly away.
These traps can be very effective at reducing the number of armyworms in your garden, but they are not as effective at controlling them. The best way to monitor your armyworm infestation is by scouting your vegetables often throughout the season.
If you notice any damage to your crops, or if you spot cottony masses of eggs on the undersides of leaves, check the area often for armyworms and larvae. Use a net or bucket to sweep across the garden in 180o arcs at different locations to estimate the size and extent of the infestation.
A great place to look for armyworms is at the base of plant roots. This is where the larvae often hide out between feeding trips. They can easily be spotted when you see a leaf that is chewed up, or cottony masses of eggs on the undersides.
The best time to inspect your garden for armyworms is the last 3 to 4 weeks before harvest, when they are in their youngest and most vulnerable stages. Early detection is key, as the older larvae can be very destructive.
Depending on the severity of an infestation, you may wish to consider trapping armyworms with baits or insecticides, such as Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (BtK), neem oil, or other organic insecticides. In addition to killing armyworms, these products can help keep your garden healthy by eliminating harmful fungi and pathogens.
Monitoring
Armyworms are a common problem for many vegetable gardeners, and they have the potential to severely damage a crop. Fortunately, armyworms are also easy to control. The key to controlling them is to monitor their presence and determine how to respond appropriately.
The first step in monitoring armyworms is to know what they eat and where they live. There are several types of armyworms, each with a distinct taste for different plants or vegetables.
A good way to scout for armyworms is to use a sweep net, which is available at most county Extension offices, and mail order supply stores that specialize in farm and forestry supplies. This tool can help you count the number of caterpillars in a field and helps you prioritize fields for scouting.
Once you have determined how many caterpillars are in the field, you can apply a pesticide if they are causing significant damage to your crops. A variety of insecticides are effective on armyworms, including a wide range of neonicotinoid seed treatments (e.g., Poncho, Cruiser, Gaucho) and insecticides containing diamides such as chlorantraniliprole or cyantraniliprole.
Using a Bt corn hybrid is another good way to protect your crops from armyworm infestations. A Bt hybrid is a corn seed that contains the Vip3a protein. This protein has been proven to control armyworm and other insects that feed on various vegetables and fruit crops.
While a Bt seed can make your crop more resistant to armyworms, scouting for them is still a good idea. The best place to look is often at the top of the plant where the ear of corn is growing.
Armyworms can cause damage to a variety of vegetables and fruits, including tomatoes, peppers, corn, and squash. They skeletonize leaf tissue and create holes in the leaves of these crops, preventing them from photosynthesising. They also attack the reproductive parts of these plants, causing premature drop and fruit rot.
In the spring and summer, armyworms are most active in warm temperatures. Temperature can influence the development of their eggs and the growth of their larvae, which are the most damaging stage. Eggs hatch in as few as three days at 84degF, but hatching can be greatly slowed down by cold temperatures.
Cultivation
If you want to control armyworm in your garden, there are several natural ways to do it. First, you can attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings that eat the pests as they lay their eggs.
To make this happen, you should plant flowers and herbs that produce pollen and nectar to feed these insects. You can also try attracting parasitic wasps, which will lay their eggs inside armyworms and kill them from the inside out.
Another natural way to protect your vegetable garden from armyworm is to grow a variety of plants that are known to be attractive to birds and other beneficial insects. For example, dill, coriander, fennel, marigolds, and daisies are all flowering plants that attract bird and beneficial insect predators to your garden.
These insects can keep the armyworm population down and help prevent other pests from gaining a foothold in your garden. You can also plant fruits and vegetables that are resistant to armyworms, such as strawberries and asparagus.
The best thing you can do for controlling armyworms in your garden is to avoid using harmful pesticides or practices that will destroy the beneficial insects that are already living in your garden. By doing so, you will protect your vegetables from the invasive pests and helping to build the healthy ecosystem that will sustain your garden for years to come.
It is also important to watch for the signs of armyworm infestation in your garden. If you see any caterpillars or larvae, pick them up and remove them from your plants as soon as possible.
You can also use a liquid insecticide to control the pests. One option is Spinosad, which is made from a soil bacteria that naturally kills armyworms. It is also safe to use on organic crops.
A third method of controlling armyworm in your garden is to introduce predatory wasps into your garden. There are a few different varieties, so do some research to find the ones that work best for your situation.
Alternatively, you can spray your garden with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This natural bacteria will effectively kill the pests without harming beneficial insects or other organic crops. It is easy to apply, and you can spray it directly on your tomatoes or other vegetables.
Pesticides
Armyworms are destructive to crops that they feed on, such as tomatoes, beans, corn, peppers, squash, and sweet potatoes. They are a serious problem throughout North, Central, and South America and parts of Europe.
Pesticides are chemicals used to control pests such as insects, weeds, and fungi. Farmers use pesticides to protect their crops and to increase yields.
They can be toxic to humans and other animals, although the effects are different depending on the type of chemical, its concentration and how a person is exposed. Acute exposures can cause headaches, dizziness, muscle twitching, weakness, and tingling.
Acute and chronic exposures can also lead to health problems, including rashes, skin or eye damage, gastrointestinal distress, respiratory problems and endocrine system disruption. Some of these can be life-threatening, especially if they occur during pregnancy.
To minimize the risk of poisoning and illness, consider using organic pesticides as much as possible. These products are often made from natural substances like soaps, lime sulfur and hydrogen peroxide.
These organic pesticides are not only effective at killing and controlling insect infestations, but they are also safe for people to use around the home. The following are a few examples of pesticides that can be used to combat armyworms:
Sprays, gels and granules containing neem oil can be applied to infested plants. This method is highly effective and does not harm beneficial insects.
Alternatively, a microbial insecticide can be applied to affected plants to kill the larvae before they reach adulthood. This bacterial insecticide is available from both conventional and organic growers.
Another option for getting rid of armyworms is to scout your garden for infestations and remove them as soon as they are discovered. This will prevent them from spreading to other vegetables and help reduce the number of eggs they produce.
If you decide to spray an insecticide, be sure to read the label carefully to ensure it’s safe for your vegetable crops. Some insecticides are toxic to beneficial insects, so it’s important to choose a product that will not harm these organisms.