This simply means that armyworms are likely to be present anywhere in Georgia and are not concentrated in turfgrass production fields, which makes identifying the origin of infestation difficult when worms are noticed two to three weeks after establishment. Unless nearby grass is infected, if infested sod has been in place for less than 14 days, the worms potentially came from the farm. Armyworm moths are ubiquitous and do not discriminate between urban areas and rural areas, where most sod farms are located. This means that for armyworm-infested grass that has been established for four to five weeks or more, it is unlikely that the worms would have come from eggs laid at the production field. In the warm weather of summer, the cycle takes about four weeks to complete with 14 to 17 days spent as caterpillars feeding on the grass. A week or so later, the new adult moth emerges to start the cycle again.

These eggs hatch after a few days and the caterpillars feed and grow for two to three weeks before pupating.

An armyworm moth can lay eggs in batches of a few dozen to several hundred, allowing populations to grow rapidly throughout the summer.

Download armyworms in grass