Courses in the southern part of the Northeast are reporting another round of fall armyworms hatching on benches, flagsticks and other hard surfaces. Some courses have even seen worms marching through the rough under trees, close to where those eggs were found.
Hopefully the cooler weather takes care of the population but there is the risk that some worms will eventually feed on the grass and cause damage. If you applied Acelepryn for white grubs, you should still be covered – just as you were for the first round.
If you need control now, applying an insecticide in the afternoon will work fine. There is no need to water the insecticide in after application. After the worms have died, treat damaged areas like a grow-in – withhold mowing and water more frequently to help promote recovery.
Be vigilant for the remainder of the fall because there is still a risk that these worms could come back. Fortunately, they are easy to control and both C3 and C4 grasses recover from their damage.
Northeast Region Agronomists:
Adam Moeller, director, Green Section Education – amoeller@usga.org
Darin Bevard, director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org
Elliott Dowling, agronomist – edowling@usga.org
John Daniels, agronomist – jdaniels@usga.org