If your corn is in the ground, you need to be on the lookout for true armyworm.
It is a pest for corn and wheat farmers, and it rides the winds from the south and then migrates northward. The moths lay their eggs in grassy weeds, so fields are a perfect place for them, and right about now is when the larva are big enough to cause noticeable damage.
A University of Illinois Entomologist explains what can ultimately happen if you do not fight the pest.
“Now, if this damage persists, it can ultimately clip a corn plant down to where there is barely any leaf material left and can, in fact, stunt that plant or even kill it. In wheat, occasionally, as the wheat plant starts to dry down and they run out of tissue, they’ll actually begin to clip the heads or destroy the flag leaves. That’s where they can cause some damage to wheat in particular.”
True armyworm is the first one in the family to appear each season. Later this summer, fall armyworm and yellow-striped armyworm will be an issue.
Related:
Worst Fall Armyworm outbreak in 30 years
Fall armyworms can make a buffet out of your grass and row crops
Entomologist with University of Missouri offers advice on stopping armyworm spread
