Armyworms invading, killing area lawns; warning signs need to be spotted quickly

Lawns across the Miami Valley are starting to brown, but its not always due to a lack of rain. Recent weather patterns brought armyworms to the region and they are wreaking havoc on lawns.

“We began noticing a few brown spots in the yard and I do have a reputable lawn service, so I called them to come and look at it,” said Kim Boedeker, a Bellbrook resident who saw her lawn turn from green to brown in less than a week. “By the time they came to look at it, my entire lawn was brown, dead. Looked like I had Round Up’ed my yard.”

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Boedeker is one of many dealing with the invasion of armyworms, but now she knows more about them after her lawncare company treated her yard.

“He came out and actually started showing me some of the armyworms in the grass,” Boedeker said. “He actually showed me that where its already dead they’re probably not going to be, because they are still eating away, so go to the edges where it’s still green and that’s where you’ll find them.”

Ziehler Lawn Care in Centerville said you can check to see if your lawn has armyworms by mixing dish soap and warm water and then pour it on dead spots in the lawn and the worms will float to the surface.

Workers at local home improvement stores said they’ve seen a spike in people buying insecticides to treat their lawns.

But, armyworms aren’t uncommon to the area. However, this year they are different.

“The armyworm came into the area and into Ohio in particular about for weeks ago through some of the weather patterns that we’ve seen recently,” said Trevor Corboy, agriculture and natural resources educator with the OSU Extension in Greene County. “‘Traditionally, we don’t see those armyworms in lawn, we see them in our grain crops.”

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“They live kind of in the south and they naturally come to the area every year. It just so happens this year is actually worse,” Corboy said.

Corboy said recently weather patterns have caused the moths and eggs that lead to armyworms to make their way to the Miami Valley through the jetstream.

The hot conditions our region has had in recent weeks has helped them thrive, but there is also concern they may not go away right away.

“We are a little bit concerned with potential for a third generation of these to come on,” Corboy said. “If the warmer weather sticks around and we have a warmer fall, they could continue.”

The normal lifespan of one of the worms is about two weeks and they can cause damage to your lawn that may require you having to reseed.

Corboy said you should consult with a trained horticulturist to make sure you have armyworms if you suspect them and then insecticides at big-box stores or commercial pesticide companies can come and treat them.

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