We are getting reports of true armyworms in Burlington County in small grain fields. As small grains begin to dry down watch for armyworms moving into adjacent corn fields. Also, scout corn fields that were planted into rye cover. Effective control is achieved when armyworm larvae are less than one inch. This late in the season we need to keep an eye on the heads in wheat fields. In wheat, armyworms tend to nibble on the tips of kernels rather than to clip heads, populations around 2 to 3 worms per linear foot between rows are generally required to justify control. When wheat is close to harvest and armyworms are longer than 1.5 inches and no head clipping has occurred control may not be needed. Also remember that we are approaching harvest, so pre harvest intervals will come into play when choosing insecticides Complete scouting and threshold information for small grains can be found in the mid-atlantic pest management recommendations for field crops. Information on dealing with armyworms in corn is also available in the recommendation guide.
Bill Bamka
