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OT : Army Worms

NTDawg

NTDawg

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Mar 2, 2012
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Yesterday I noticed that the grass (Bermuda)in my backyard was suddenly brown. This morning I noticed a lot of what I think are army worms. I had noticed them before and didn’t realize what they were but this morning I could see hundreds and hundreds of them. What is the best solution?
 
DesotoCountyDawg

DesotoCountyDawg

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Nov 16, 2005
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Bifinthrin


Its the worst outbreak I’ve seen of armyworms since probably 2014. They’re everywhere.
 
NTDawg

NTDawg

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DesotoCountyDawg said:
Bifinthrin


Its the worst outbreak I’ve seen of armyworms since probably 2014. They’re everywhere.
Click to expand...

They have eaten every blade of Bermuda but have left the nutgrass alone. Literally the only thing green in by backyard is nutgrass.
 
S

Smoked Toag

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Jul 15, 2021
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The way it's been raining, the grass will come back. You can spray them with many things, but they'll eventually die out or go somewhere else.

Like DCD they came around a few years ago, they ate everybody's yard, then rolled on.
 
NTDawg

NTDawg

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Just got back from the coop. I walked in and didn’t say a word and the lady said “army worms?”
 
T-TownDawgg

T-TownDawgg

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Last 2 years I had azalea worms. Vibrant red and black fuzzy catapillars. They hit first week of August, if memory serves me; watch out. Bad dudes. Will strip azalea and blueberry bushes in one day
 
HotMop

HotMop

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Must have killed all of your mole crickets, their natural enemy.***
 
Jeffreauxdawg

Jeffreauxdawg

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For those without a co-op nearby, here's a link. Bifinthrin concentrated like hell in Bifen XTS. Bifinthrin is to insects what MSMA is to weeds. I put 12 oz in and filled a 30 gallon boom sprayer with water for 2 acres. I sprayed once a month from March to October. A couple extra passes around the foundation of the house for extra protection from ants and termites.

https://www.domyown.com/bifen-xts-p-1236.html

When I bought my house there were no less than 30 fire ant beds and a billion chiggers in the yard, all gone after the first application and I never saw them again. It's also a good termicide. In fact, I am pretty sure it kills everything smaller than a rabbit. Even mole crickets... Don't put the Bifen XTS on your steak though, tastes like spoiled milk. I tried.
 
Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay

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JoeLee'sSocks said:
For those without a co-op nearby, here's a link. Bifinthrin concentrated like hell in Bifen XTS. Bifinthrin is to insects what MSMA is to weeds. I put 12 oz in and filled a 30 gallon boom sprayer with water for 2 acres. I sprayed once a month from March to October. A couple extra passes around the foundation of the house for extra protection from ants and termites.

https://www.domyown.com/bifen-xts-p-1236.html

When I bought my house there were no less than 30 fire ant beds and a billion chiggers in the yard, all gone after the first application and I never saw them again. It's also a good termicide. In fact, I am pretty sure it kills everything smaller than a rabbit. Even mole crickets... Don't put the Bifen XTS on your steak though, tastes like spoiled milk. I tried.
Click to expand...

For those of us who don't have a large scale setup for spraying the same active ingredient is available as a granular under the name Talstar and you can put that out with a $10 hand spreader.

Also when applied by a boom sprayer it does exactly jack and squat for termites. You need a full treatment of your foundation and the soil below for those.
 
NTDawg

NTDawg

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Are you saying the noise in ear isn’t tinnitus but I have had army worms for 15 years**
 
kired

kired

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Invaded our neighborhood here in Tupelo this week, got mine sprayed yesterday. Didn’t seem to be moving quite as fast as I remember 5-6 years ago. They are my entire yard in about 5 days then. They really only got maybe half my backyard this time after I first noticed them Tuesday.
 
Seinfeld

Seinfeld

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Nov 30, 2006
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It's really funny that this is the first topic on the page because I was out weed eating this morning when I suddenly noticed the same thing. I began to suspect something was up because for the last two mornings, there have been flocks of crows all over our back yard, but it wasn't until today that I looked down as saw what seemed like 25-50 worms for every square foot of grass.

I immediately called my yard guy, and he said putting sprinklers out will slow them down a little until he can get here, and he'll be here first thing in the morning to spray. I'm in Arkansas, and it's like nothing I've ever seen
 
Jeffreauxdawg

Jeffreauxdawg

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Not exactly true there hoss.

First. There are more than one type of termite. Subterranean and drywood. Drywood termites never make contact with the soil they tend to get into your home by colonizing in mulch, firewood, sheds, landscape timbers, and outdoor furniture nearby. Soil injections do nothing for drywood termites.

View attachment 21114

Also, if you have a slab foundation. Surface spraying the foundation creates and excellent barrier for subterranean termites. Saturating the soil next to the slab is an extra line of defense as that is going to be the primary area they tunnel unless there is a pluming line with a big gap under the slab that allows entry. Now surface treatment is not a substitute for soil treatments. But soil injection or trenching is done like every 5 to 10 years. Its not going to hurt add some more barrier once a month while you are already treating for ants, chiggers, etc.

I liked to make a couple extra passes around the foundation to make sure I got some of the termititcide in my weep holes on the brick. That is the single most vulnerable area on a slab foundation/brick home. But I would never advocate for skipping out on a periodic (5-10 years) soil treatment with termidor or something.

View attachment 21115

https://www.thisoldhouse.com/pest-control/21238556/best-termite-killers
 
MeridianDog

MeridianDog

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Sep 3, 2008
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We have lost our edge if it took me to remind you guys that a light spray of diluted dale's sauce will take tare of them.
 
Mobile Bay

Mobile Bay

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You try and one up me on types of termites and leave Formosan Termites out of the equation, epic fail on your part.

If you have a slab foundation surface spraying will still wash off. And that is a big if. Any other type of foundation that leaves you incredibly venerable. Even with a slab you just stop the termites from becoming visible. Which is worse than nothing. Over treatment of a non repellant termiticide can turn it into a repellant termiticide which is also bad unless you have a complete undisturbed barrier under your home. Even 5-10 years is overtreatment unless the soil becomes disturbed. The bare minimum to receive a termiticide designation on your label from the EPA is 10 years in proven soil tests.

Weep hole spraying won't do much. You still need to drill and inject the brick, or at least inject the weep holes in order to get the termiticide into the wall and on the wall studs.
 
Dawgbite

Dawgbite

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After reading this I went outside and my whole yard was squirming. I already had the sprayer on the tractor about a quarter full of Roundup. I scrounged up enough jugs to save the Roundup because if I had sprayed it somewhere I would have made it rain and god knows I don't need any more rain. Anyway, I mixed up a tank of Bifen and proceeded to commit mass murder on the worm population. I'll hit them again about mid week if required. Thanks for the heads up, God knows I don't want anything to stunt my grass so I don't have to mow between rain showers every 3-4 days.
 
A

AgronDawg

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Mar 26, 2020
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Poisoning pastures all across north MS this week. No trouble finding them in rice and beans. Ten sweeps in my yard tonight and 56 armyworms… spraying tomorrow. They are about a month early this year.
 
I

InTheIttaBenaHotSun

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Jan 9, 2016
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cowbell88 said:
Be quiet and you can hear em eating
Click to expand...

You sure can. In Forsyth, GA 15 yrs ago and saw them coming out of the woods on a fairway….it was so many that it looked like the ground was moving. Reason they’re called army worms…..they can blitzkrieg turf….in hours.
 
NTDawg

NTDawg

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Checked this morning and didn’t see a worm. I’ll keep checking all week. Thanks DCD

Troll rebs even downvote army worm threads. Guess they hate grass.
 
Jeffreauxdawg

Jeffreauxdawg

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Formosan termites are a type of subterranean termite. They are just native to the former republic of Formosa, now Taiwan. And you still have to acknowledge, surface treatment is the best way to protect a structure from drywood termites. I don't want to argue with you anymore because you will have more stamina than me on it I am sure (blacklistedbully style), but go read the link. Or better yet. Read the below. I pasted it for you.

Snapshot

Active ingredient: Bifenthrin
Works in: 24 hours
Lasts for: 90 days

Bifen XTS is a fast-acting, oil-based termiticide that can kill termites in 24 hours by attacking their nervous systems. This treatment is not recommended for use indoors. Spray it around the perimeter of your home to kill termites.

Bifen XTS also works as a preventative measure—after spraying, it leaves residual material for up to eight weeks, killing any termites that come into contact with it. Bifen XTS is also an effective pest control solution for dozens of other kinds of pests.

We should note that Bifen XTS is oil-based, so if you aren’t careful spraying it, you may harm your garden.



And by the way, it's not a big if. You either have a slab foundation or you don't.** If you want to argue further, please take it up with the guys at This Old House.
 
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Col. Forbin

Col. Forbin

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Oct 2, 2012
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Just watched a pallet of triazicide disappear in a matter of minutes at the Lowe’s in Madison.
 
G

Grove Sh*tter

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Aug 25, 2014
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Shout-out to SGK in Starkville. They came and sprayed my yard Tuesday without me asking them (we were on their treatment list for early spring treatment). The next day or 2, this thread developed.

Top notch!
 
CochiseCowbell

CochiseCowbell

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Oct 29, 2012
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