Lawn - fall armyworm control naturally
How to deal with fall armyworm control naturally
As summer evenings start to melt on the chilly side, keep your ear close to the ground and hear the rhythmic march of the tiny-miniature army boots.
Their target - is your lawn and garden.
These little marching caterpillars can easily destroy your lawn, and if they're hungry enough, they'll happily make their way into the garden. As their name suggests, armyworms travel in troops and eat like a small army, humming their way across the landscape in late summer before burrowing and starting the whole process over.
When it comes to destruction, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more efficient pest. But what's a natural gardener to do if he's convinced he's using dangerous pesticides?
As it turns out, a lot.
In fact, organic gardeners have plenty of tricks in their arsenal to help them win the battle waged by these hungry caterpillars each fall.
Enemy number one - Spodoptera
Armyworm is a general term for several species of nocturnal moth larvae in the genus Spodoptera. There are several dozen species in the genus. Some common culprits are tobacco cutworm, beet armyworm, and Egyptian cotton bollworm. They are found almost all over the world and can destroy anything from your yard and garden to commercial crops. These little guys aren't scary on their own; Most are 1 ½” to 2” long when fully grown. The problem for them is their mode of travel. Once the caterpillar eggs hatch, they travel and feed in swarms.
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How to Get Rid of Armyworms
1. Removal by hand
Yes, this always tops the list of pest removal tips because of how effective it is. Sure, it's messy, but I'm always amazed at how well it works. You will get rid of the pest without negatively affecting other pests in your garden.
Drop the worms into a bucket of soapy water where they will drown. Or, if you have chickens, leave the worms in a baggie or jar and your flock will have time to eat these active treats and you'll be rewarded with protein-rich eggs.
2. Encourage their natural predators
There are many other things that armyworms like to eat besides chickens. Invite these animals to your lawn and you can stop them before it starts. Birds are great at keeping armyworms at bay, so consider taking steps to attract wild birds to your yard. Ladybugs, braconid wasps, lacewings, and even spiders love to snack on armyworms, so keep these beneficial insects hanging in your garden.
Planting a variety of plants in your garden is one of the best ways to attract beneficial insects to your space. Flowers, such as calendula and nasturtium, and herbs, such as dill and chamomile, do a wonderful job of attracting all kinds of beneficial insects. This is another reason to adopt companion planting as soon as possible.
The more you can replicate the incredible diversity of plants found in nature, the more balanced your mini-ecosystem will be.
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3. Start a backyard herd
Get yourself some chickens. I know, it sounds like a great solution to a temporary problem. But if you find yourself dealing with many pests like armyworms, ticks, and mosquitoes in your yard every year, a few chickens can make a big dent in their numbers.
Not to mention you get the added benefit of eggs. Chickens are great at backyard bug control, and their personalities make them even more enjoyable to watch as they work. Heaven forbid we see a bug and eat it before others notice; No, we have to poke it and show it off, causing a ruckus and everyone trying to steal it from the bird that found it.
4. Plant trap crops
Trap crops are grown specifically to lure insects away from other plants in the garden.
Consider planting trap crops outside your garden or near your property to attract armyworms. Corn can be an excellent trap crop for certain types of worms. And if it has been free of armyworms for a year, corn can be eaten as well.
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5. Garlic oil spray
This is a great recipe for dealing with armyworms every year. You can make it ahead of time so they are ready when exposed.
Finely crush six cloves of garlic and add to a jar with a quarter cup of olive oil. Let the garlic mixture soak for at least a week. As needed, mix one tablespoon of garlic-infused oil with two cups of water and two drops of liquid dish soap. Shake the mixture and sprinkle the plants down, soaking them thoroughly.
It doesn't kill armyworms, but it does prevent them from eating into your beautiful lawn and garden.
6. Protect your corn
If you're dealing with aphids destroying your corn every year, apply a little cooking oil or squeeze it to the base of the stalk to attract the ants to the corn. Ants happily eat armyworms but leave corn alone.
7. Pyrethrin spray
Pyrethrin spray is an effective insecticide made from white chrysanthemums. If your infestation is bad enough, it may warrant using a natural insecticide. But there's no mistaking that it's still an insecticide, and it kills all the insects it comes in contact with, not just maggots. This includes pollinators and beneficial insects. Save this as a last resort.
Spray in the evening when armyworms are active and the flowers of other plants are closed, so pollination activity is low.
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