Attack of the Armyworm

More and more reports of armyworm activity in wheat and corn are coming in. Several fields in Essex and Chatham-Kent have reached threshold and required spraying. This gives other counties a heads up that armyworm could be in those fields as well. Get out and scout both wheat and corn fields. Best time is in the evening after dinner when the armyworm is actively feeding. Thresholds and products available were mentioned in last week's CropPest. Keep in mind that only larvae 1 inch or smaller can be effectively controlled by the insecticides. And most products for wheat have a 21 to 28 days to harvest interval, with the exception of Sevin insecticide which has a 14 day PHI. Spraying in the evening is best as well, since the armyworm will be on the plants and less likely to be hiding deep in the crop canopy.

Figure 1. True Armyworm larvae have balck bands at the top of each
proleg and the lighter brown head

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