They are something that East Texas farmers, ranchers, and anyone with a lawn despise: Armyworms.

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When summer time winds down and fall comes to our area, armyworms are at their peak. One of the first telltale signs of an armyworm infestation is small brown lawn patches.

It’s become a really big issue for a lot of producers in Central and East Texas in various cropping systems,” said Vanessa Corriher-Olson, a professor & Texas A&M AgriLife forage extension specialist according to KLTV. “When we have cooler temperatures and adequate moisture, those moths lay a lot more eggs. They can lay up to 2,000 eggs and then we can have three or four generations in a season.

The thing to remember about armyworms is that they are a surface feeder and can be easily controlled by insecticides, if identified early enough. But that's the key, you've got to be vigilant. Applying an insect killer such as Ortho Bug B Gon Insect Killer for Lawns as soon as you find just a few, can stop their march and save your lawn.

YouTuber How To With Doc gives us a great look into the damage they caused his lawn, plus he shows us what to look for to catch these destructive insects early.

He says that the first signs of an infestation are brown patches which rapidly grow bigger. And he points out that the caterpillars feed at night, so the damage is not explainable at first. Another tip: Your first sign of a fall armyworm infestation might be several birds clustered on a turf area. Although birds eat the caterpillars, they are no match for hundreds of them in one lawn.

Happy armyworm hunting!

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