OHIO — While they are caterpillars, they are not going to turn into butterflies. Instead, they might destroy your yard. 

What You Need To Know

  • Armyworms are back and in full force

  • It's possible their heightened presence this year is due to recent, consistent storm fronts moving through the area

  • They attack small grain crops and lawns

  • To check for fall armyworms, use dish soap like Dawn Ultra, Joy Ultra and Ivory Clear whic will bring the worms up to the surface — Palmolive will kill the grass

Fall armyworms are officially in the Buckeye State, and Professor Emeritus of Entomology at the Ohio State University David Shetlar said they are extremely widespread.

“This year is probably the worst that I’ve seen,” said Shetlar, “And most of my fellow entomologists say it’s probably the worst they’ve seen.”

Shetlar said the "common armyworm" is native to Ohio. Early in the summer, they attack small grain crops, then they move over to eat turf in July.

“The head capsule of the fall armyworm has a little white, Y-shaped mark. The common armyworm has a brown, H-shaped mark," he explained.

So, how have so many fall armyworms made it to Ohio this year? Shetlar predicts it's the weather.

“My feeling is we’ve had these storm fronts, we’ve had three hurricane like-storm fronts that have come up from the Gulf,” said Shetlar. “We know well that the adult moths do get picked up by jet streams, and they can be moved up to 500 miles in a 24-hour period in those jet streams.”

To check for fall armyworms, Shetlar suggests using dish soap like Dawn Ultra, Joy Ultra and Ivory Clear. They bring the worms up to the surface. He said Palmolive will kill the grass.

“We’ve done a lot of testing with detergents. Those three detergents don’t cause any 'fidotoxicity.' In other words, they don’t damage the turf," he said.

When it comes to protecting yards from fall armyworms, he said using a product with acelepryn, which is an insecticide, will work.

 “The Scotts 'Grubex' contains acelepryn," said Shetlar. 

Grass can be revived with proper watering, but the crown must still be alive.

"Go out and check to see if there’s green. If there’s green, the crowns are still alive," he said.

Shetlar believes more fall armyworms will travel to Ohio in the next two weeks. 

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