Armyworms, a major fall pasture pest in East Texas, have been spotted in Smith County. The pest, which migrates up from South Texas every year, is normally found following the first widespread rain that occurs after Labor Day.
Well, they are a little early this year, probably due to the wetter than normal August creating very favorable feeding conditions in the Eastern part of the state. Their early arrival means that we will have longer to deal with this pest which can cause problems until the first freezing weather of fall arrives (which is usually not until mid-November).
The following publication (a Fall Armyworm 2008 Fact Sheet) provides more background on their life cycle and lists products labeled for armyworm control in pastures and hay fields: ArmywormFactSheet2008.pdf
