Today, I heard about some armyworm feeding on corn in northeast and northwest Iowa. In the NE Iowa field, rye was planted last fall and killed late this spring. Armyworms tend to be aggregated, or found in big groups, and can cause significant injury seemingly overnight. The caterpillars are messy feeders - they shred corn plants and leave frass pellets in the whorl. I helped write up an ICM News article about armyworms last summer that might be useful. Thanks to Ben Wikner for the notification and great photos!
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on June 2, 2016. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.
- Professor
- Extension Entomologist Specialist
- ANR Crops Team Leader