Fall Armyworms!!!!!!!!!!

This morning, while doing some scouting, we noticed we are starting to see an outbreak of Fall Armyworms!  These insects can do some major damage to Bermuda grass, and quickly!  Armyworms get their name because they eat the grass in large numbers, a lot of times "marching" across the grass in a straight line.  When the outbreak is really severe, you can actually see the grass moving there are so many worms crawling around.  To do some tests to see if we have any worm outbreaks, we do a "soapy flush"  We take a bucket of water, and add dish soap.  This soapy water gives a burning sensation to all bugs, and every bug in the turf canopy will come up to the top for fresh air!  Here is a photo of one of our assistants doing a soapy flush:

This soapy flush is something you can do in your own yard to test for Armyworms.  A lot of times Armyworm damage looks like a brown spot that would appear dry.  After closer inspection, these spots are brown because the Armyworms have started eating all the leaves of the grass plant!

The good news is that once detected, Armyworms are very easy to control.  After we noticed an outbreak on hole #12 this morning, we mixed up the sprayer with insecticide and sprayed all the rough.  This will kill all the Armyworms currently feeding on the turf, and prevent any more from spreading to other areas of the golf course.  Be on the lookout in your own home lawns and do a soapy flush to test and see if you have an outbreak!  If you need help on how to control the outbreak we would be glad to answer any questions you may have!