Army Worms

I have gotten two reports in Jack county that they are bad already, if you are thinking about planting you might want to hold off.

they were roaming Gillespie Co. yesterday, they ate us up last year, waiting till mid October to plant.

Same here in S.E. Louisiana. We need a drop in temperature bad to end the Army Worm season. Ninety-eight degrees today.

My buddy is right next to Jack in Montague and they had to plant their wheat twice last year. $$$$

This year with wet early summer then long dry period and not very wet again in my area is a recipe for army worms. I had them 3 or 4 yrs the first few days of November in my oats.

I don't have to worry about army worms, the hogs are completely destroying my fields. I finished planting last Friday, got 1/2" rain Friday night, thought I was looking pretty good. Went and checked my fields yesterday evening, and the hogs have rooted up 75% of them. Probably finished them off last night. On 12 acres, I planted 800 lbs wheat, 600 lbs oats, 50 lbs buckwheat, 50 lbs winter peas, and 20 lbs clover. ALL FOR NOT!!! I despise feral hogs.

Got Army Worms bad in Star Tx. Heard many reports around the Waco area. Bad deal this year.

Not sure how far south you are, but I know some areas of deep STX have them almost year round, they cycle pretty quick too.

Seeing a few around here for about a week, the big ones are the ones that eat the most just before going back into the ground to finish out, then it starts all over again if we don't get some cold. I don't think you can do a thing if you aren't ready when you seen them grown, need to catch them small to have more treatment options, hate the bastages.

I have always waited until the last weekend of September or first weekend of October to plant.
Use to be only one reason for that, I did not want the plants coming up to soon and run into a long hot dry spell in late September and early October and burn them up.
Now it seems like the Army Worms are getting worse more often so now I am even more cautious of planting early.

Are there fall plants that the deer like and Army Worms will not bother?

I plan on waiting; they ate everything last year. I used to not hear of them; it’s got to be Trump!

I'm waiting until it gets cool. I don't hunt my plots specifically, but I do want to see them last through the winter and into green up. A lot of time and money to let a bunch of moths eat. Your County Extension Service does a good job of monitoring them.

I am 90 miles south of San Antonio and in my lifetime I can only think of one time we may have them before July. I had them in my yard here about 5 yrs ago now in early July on the Bermuda grass I had just planted. Most years it is after a long dry spell followed by extremely wet period in late Aug or into Sept. They will be here this year. I am not planting till mid October at the earliest this year. I have had them as late first week of November here about 3 yrs ago now.

Yep, same song second verse. I lost all my food plots last year to them, so I'm waiting on a cold front before I plant this year.

How cold are you thinking it needs to be before you feel safe planting? I know if Oklahoma there are army worms and army cutworms, apparently one is from the south and one is from the north and the army worm goes away during the winter but the cutworm doesn't. Haven't seen much damage from worms in my neck of the woods but don't really want to tempt them boogers either.

The older farmers and ranchers down here said 3 consecutive nights in the low 50's or cooler and you could plant.

I'd say that is very fortunate, they have a pretty quick cycle once the leave the ground, I just recall the Ag agent when came out to make recommendations dealing with these bastages, he said to count myself fortunate as the Southern part of STX can have developing worms year round if the weather is right.

I know the second time I had them bad, it would have been the 4th late cut, they took the field to stems, ag agent told me to deep disc or lite plow to turn the soil and expose the pupae in the ground, which I did. Not sure how much that disrupted them and its for Bermuda anyway, those blackbirds where in those fields for a week and they generally just fly over. Don't know if they where on the pupae or not, like to think they where, but that field came back twice as good the fallowing spring as coastal will do after a good discing.

The couple times they got on my oats/wheat, pretty much a loss by the time I caught it in those smaller plots.

You have a later planting date than me typically anyway, has to be at least a couple weeks or so?

They can and have taken oats or coastal pastures to the stem on me in the past. The worst was on coastal bermuda and all the neighbors got together and had a plane spray the pastures. I can tell they are in oats or coastal two ways...one is by sight if I see a "yellow" looking spot where they have stripped all the leaves off and the other is birds in the fields..mainly crows here were I am at. I have heard of people getting them in the spring but I have never seen it. I am waiting to see the moths flying around in numbers any day now.
I usually planted the last 2 weeks of Sept., but the last 2 yrs it was first week of October. This year I am waiting till mid October to put seed in the ground. It will take a week to be dry enough to skim the fields to get regrowth weeds and grass. Then drag the fields and roll them. I have a drill so I can plant deeper and that seems to help with army worms if I get them. The oats has a deeper root system to better moisture. I have been lucky to never have them kill an oat field out. One year I planted over the top of completely stripped field in a checkerboard pattern over the first planting after worms got it in early November. The first planting came back in full strength after a good rain when the second one came up. It was thick stand that year. I am lucky in that I can check my little deer plots daily to see if I need to spray.

the only time I really like seeing Crows is when the are eating the larva. I have also seen those big red ants carry there larva off, not that many but every little bit helps.

I might go disc my field tomorrow and hope that disrupts them!

Yep

I hope thats right because the forecast calls for a low of 53 on the nights of September 29,30 and October 1, here in Texarkana. I planted last week.

Just got home from checking my food plot. Little 1/3 acre I planted with clover at the beginning of sept right before the rain. Last week clover was thick and beautiful, this morning not a single clover leaf left. Worms everywhere.

Location?

I can remember them being bad back in the late 40's, devastated wheat before the cold weather set in

Army Worms

We are covered up with them here.....

I am in pilot point tx

I am covered up with them in southwestern Palo Pinto county. The worse I have ever seen them. They are stripping my coastal to the ground. They are even eating weeds.

I haven't planted yet due to army worms last season. I walked to one of my blinds the other evening across where I will be planting wheat and this guy was on my shoe.

I saw several more once I started looking. This was in Stonewall County NW of Abilene.

Went out today, covered up in them, back yard is gone, yeah no mowing. Found them anywhere on my 15 acres that had none native grasses, or imported. Bermuda seems to be the main target, pond bank is almost eaten off. Found them in the garden on the melon plants, and they are also eating the crabgrass which is the only positive for me.

Had I been able to plant, it would be gone, did see many dead ones from all the rain, but still strong numbers.

Not sure if you can see them in this quick photo, leaving an area that was crabgrass, towards an area with a lot of Bermuda.

Already got 2 acres of millet, replanted this weekend. Will be interesting to see if the ducks still show up this year.

Army worms were bad in Katy last couple weeks but seem to be gone now. Luckily I put down granules on my yards several times a year to keep the ants and june bugs away. I had very minimal damage but my neighbors weren't so lucky.

Talked to a guy at the feed store in Poth and he said he had them last week on 100 acres of grass. To wet to get a truck into spray so he had to get a plane out of Pearsall to spray the pastures on his place.

Do you think all of this rain will kill a lot of them off or just have to wait for cooler weather?

Well to answer my own question; NO. Just got a report that there are lots of them still around in Jack County

My LO out in Throckmorton County says its a bad year there for them as well.

Saw some wheat between Albany and Hubbard Creek lake yesterday that was about 2" tall and looking good, hope it makes it.

We had none until all the rain the last few weeks. Now we are covered with them and they are taking out everything.

Have sprayed hay meadow for 5th time yesterday. Last week the spray did not kill all of them and now hearing we have a different worm called Beet army worm moved in. Normal mix does not kill them, Need double strength. I usually plant all my food plots all in a couple days but not this year. Just gambled and planted 3 that are 3 to 4 acres each but waiting on the rest.

BTW, chickens and mockingbirds love them!

Renda will get all species of the army worm, I have been spraying it for the last few days trying to salvage my coastal...it will also get the grasshoppers, and many other pests, on contact. Got to have a license to purchase it though, unfortunately, it has nominal residual, so you mst put lots of water down to get an effective kill.

As I recall, they will be around between 7and 21 days...which enough time to completely destroy a standing hay crop. Hope this information helps!

Thanks crapicat, will keep that in mind but were cutting the meadow this week and im done worrying with them for a while. Unless the get in foodplots.

LO told me yesterday that Army Worms cut a swath through my 320. 80 acre wheat that was full of volunteer wheat 2 weeks ago, gone to a nub. He was not going to sow it this year but now will have to.

Thank goodness for the rains, some of the pasture has recovered. In Murray, Woodson area, SW Young County.

4W

Getting ready to plant Thursday morning, got my you know whats crossed

uh Stubs, try a looser pair of britches, those str8 legs will do it every time

BTW, Looked for 2 hours yesterday for AW couldn't find 10 on the grass where there had been 1000's, I believe most here have gone into the ground, dug up a couple spots and found a lot in pupa stage. I hope that in the couple week it takes for them to emerge, the weather isnt as conducive to their survival.

If the 10 day weather forecast holds true, we might get lucky and see the last of them

They got us at home, not at the land, but hole 3, 5, 6 and 18 on the course sure did get ate up quick

I had 1.70 to 1.85" of rain yesterday and found army worms in my spring food plots about an hour ago. I had plowed when I plowed my fall plots. I have not planted any oats yet so they will have to live off of the sour grass and grass-burs that are new growth in those areas I found the army worms.

Hopefully cold snap and rain will end the armyworm problem. Have sprayed 1st 10 acres I planted twice and found a few again this mourning. Got 12 more acres just up good and im tired of baby sitting the plots.

cos

I bet your right on the cold and rain putting a end to those little bastages life for this season anyways

Ate the hay fields down to nothing in Houston county this year