MAHONING COUNTY, Ohio - Reports of a small insect pest named the fall armyworm is growing throughout Ohio. 

Armyworms are a semi-tropical species who fly north for the season and while Ohio is used to seeing them in August and September, their presence is growing throughout the state. 

OSU Extension county offices across Ohio have received an unusually high amount of calls regarding armyworm activity. 

OSU Extension Educator in Mahoning County Eric Barrett says the uptick in fall armyworms is due to the natural cycle of the armyworms. 

"Some years we see a big increase in them, and other have a small increase," says Barrett. 

The OSU extension office believes that adult armyworms were picked up during a storm that traveled from the south across Ohio about 4 weeks ago. The adult armyworm is able to fly about 500 miles in 24 hours and able to get into jet streams and drop down to find a suitable host. 

The armyworms lay eggs in flat leaves and flowers that hang over different turf, and feeds on over 100 different types of plants. 

The fall armyworm is attacking many crops that grow in Ohio, including corn and small grains. Hayfield and pastures have been directly affected by armyworms, with about 50 to 80 percent of hayfields across Mahoning and Trumbull county reporting these insects. The OSU extension office is currently assessing the damage down to hayfields and crops, and are hoping to get a leg up on spraying the animals.

The OSU extension office encourages farmers to look out for the armyworm eggs in their crops, and claim that it is easiest to kill them in their caterpillar stage. An easy way to identify the fall armyworm is by the Y shape behind their heads.  

You can visit the Forages chapter of the Michigan/Ohio State Field Crops Insect Management Guide for notes and insecticides information at https://aginsects.osu.edu/sites/aginsects/files/imce/MSU%20-%20OSU%20Insect%20IPM%20Guide.pdf 

Or you can call the OSU Extension office at 330-533-4107.