FALL ARMY WORMS SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

FALL ARMY WORMS 

            Fall Army Worms are native to the tropical regions of the western hemisphere and are a constant threat to southern turf.  They normally winter successfully in Southern Florida and Southern Texas.  The adult of the Fall Army Worm is a shaded gray and brown moth.  Adults are nocturnal, and are most active during warm, humid evenings. Here in South Florida adults can be found from April to December and sometimes during the winter. They are strong fliers, and disperses long distances during the summer months.  Adult moths only live around 10 days and lay most of her eggs within the first four to five days.  Eggs hatch in 7 to 10 days or 2 to 3 days in July and August. Larva takes as little as 12 days to mature in July or up to 30 days in October. The pupa stage only takes 8 to 9 days and there could be as many as 3 to 4 generations each summer here in South Florida.

            The 1 1/2 inch long mature Fall Army Worm larva with distinct strips along its sides does all the damage to your turf and foliage.  They feed on grasses any time of the day but are most active in the early morning.  Fall Army Worms are known for their habit of moving and feeding in mass from one turf grass area to another.  They commonly eat everything green, leaving only a few stems.  This moving front of larvae may consume many square feet of turf which seems to disappear overnight.  It seems as if the ground is moving with so many caterpillars in the grass.

            Don't let the Fall Army Worm destroy your lawn!  Call, 239-455-4300, for a full explanation on how we control Fall Army Worms and all other turf damaging insects and fungus or look us up on our web site at collierpestcontrol.com.  Remember Florida does not have to be shared with insects.

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