How to Get Rid of Army Worms?

Armyworms are known to travel in large groups and damage whatever comes in their way. They cause severe damage to gardens, crops or lawns. It turns out to be worse when worms attack at night, giving shock to gardeners in the morning because worms damage the garden by morning.

Indeed, they are voracious and destructive pests, causing significant damage to plants. However, the positive thing is that it's not difficult to get rid of these pests. This blog covers ways to identify the armyworms before they damage your garden or lawn, and also suggests multiple methods to kill and treat them.

How to Prevent Armyworms?

As discussed, armyworms can cause serious destruction, so it's highly necessary to prevent them. This can also decrease the risk of potential damage. First, if a garden is kept clean and well-rounded, the chances of armyworms attacking are quite less. Additionally, the following are two important methods to prevent armyworms.

• Encourage the Armyworm Predators: Insects like ladybugs and lacewigs like to eat armyworm eggs. Gardeners can attract these predators by arranging a setting of a variety of flowers, such as sweet alyssum and marigolds.

• Keep the Garden Clean: Armyworms tend to reside under garden debris during the day, especially under dense and leafy canopies. So, ensure to clean the garden regularly by collecting and then removing fallen leaves, fruits or dead plant material. Also, get rid of weeds or objects that may offer a favourable place for armyworms to live in.

How to Control Armyworms?

Here are some ways to control these destructive pests.

1. Mow grassy weeds regularly as they attract egg-laying adults.

Ideal height of grass:

• Begin mowing the grass when its height reaches 3 inches.

• Grass tends to grow best at 2 ½ inches. Hence, set the blade to that height for the first few cuts in spring.

• The ideal height of grass is 2 ½ inches, so avoid mowing the grass below this height. Also, never cut the grass more than ⅓ of its height.

2. The easiest way to control armyworms is to hand-pick them from plants and drop them into soapy water. This works efficiently for smaller gardens.

How to Kill Armyworms?

The following are some treatments that can kill armyworms.

Bacillus Thuringiensis (B.T.)

Spray the plants with B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) products according to label instructions. This organic treatment comes as a ready-to-use spray or concentrated solution that should be applied by a tank sprayer. This can control the small larvae without hurting the beneficial insects. But, make sure to re-treat it as the B.t. remnants stay on turf for not more than two days and can be washed away with rain.

Once you spray it on worms, it takes a while to show the result and kill them. Till then, worms continue to eat leaves. Gardeners can spray B.t. as a preventive treatment if there has been a history of severe armyworm infestation.

Spinosad

This is a bacterial product, produced by fermentation. It can be used to get rid of armyworms from the garden and landscape.

Alternate Ways to Get Rid of Armyworms

Here are two alternative methods to remove armyworms without using any toxic pesticides.

Beneficial Organisms: Heterohabditis bacteriophora is one of the species of Nematodes that feed on armyworms.

• Ensure to put Nematodes in the early morning, later afternoon hours or on overcast days as they are intolerant to sunlight.

• Then, water the area thoroughly. In the next 48 hours, nematodes can completely eliminate the armyworms.

Neem Oil: This oil is known for killing not just armyworms but other pests as well.

• Take a spray bottle filled with a gallon of warm water. Then, mix one to two teaspoons of pure neem oil in the spray bottle.

• Next, add a teaspoon of liquid soap or insecticidal soap into it.

• Lastly, spray the mixed solution on lawns and other infected areas like plants twice a week as a preventive measure.

Where Are Armyworms Found?

Most armyworms cannot survive the cold temperatures, so they are largely found in the southern regions where they can easily get their favourite snack, called Bermudagrass. However, it doesn't indicate that areas with colder seasons are safe.

During summer, adult moths travel through the winds of tropical storms and can lay thousands of eggs in the North. The larvae you get from moths are usually known as fall armyworms, and they tend to damage the whole lawn before next winter arrives.