FALL ARMYWORM 
(Laphygma frugiperda (A. and S.) ) 
The fall armyworm, known principally as an enemy of growing corn, feeds 
on many other cultivated crops, such as alfalfa, cotton, peanuts, and grasses, 
and also on wild plants. The eggs are laid at night on grasses or other plants 
and hatch in about 5 days. The young larvae (caterpillars, or “worms”) feed 
at first in concealment near the ground, become full grown in about 20 days, and 
then enter the soil for a few inches and change into pupae. The inactive pupal 
stage lasts about 10 days. After the moths emerge from the pupal cases they 
often fly many miles before the females lay eggs. The fall armyworm may have 
as many as six generations a year in the Gulf States, but does not survive the 
winter farther north. In addition to eating the blades of corn and boring into 
the stalks, the larvae may bore into the ears, particularly the shanks of the ears, 
and feed extensively therein. 
The fall armyworm can be controlled with the following sprays: (1)2 pounds 
per acre of a wettable powder containing 50 percent of either DDT or TDE, 
mixed with 40 gallons of water. (2) A toxaphene emulsifiable concentrate, 
applied by aircraft at the rate of IV 2 to 2 pounds of toxaphene in 2 gallons of 
spray per acre. 
The application of a dust containing 5 percent of DDT, toxaphene, or TDE, 
at the rate of 40 pounds per acre, or a 20-percent toxaphene dust at 10 to 15 
pounds per acre, has also been reported to give good control. 
To control so-called “budworm” damage in sweet corn, caused by the feeding 
of this worm deep in the whorls of the corn plant, spray with an emulsion made 
with 3 quarts of a 25-percent DDT emulsifiable concentrate, 5 quarts of a white 
mineral oil of 50 to 95 seconds Saybolt viscosity, and enough water to make 25 
gallons of spray. Apply the spray at the rate of 25 gallons per acre. 
When the worms are crawling over the ground in large numbers they may be 
destroyed by broadcasting a poisoned bait thinly over the infested fields, and 
moderate infestations in corn may sometimes be controlled by light sprinklings 
of the bait in the leaf whorls. To prepare this bait mix 50 pounds of wheat bran 
with 2 pounds of paris green, and then add 6 gallons of water to make a damp 
mash. This quantity is enough for 2 to 3 acres. 
Warning: All these insecticides are poisons. They must be kept out of reach 
of children or animals and must be handled with care, according to directions 
on the containers. Because the residue of DDT, TDE, or toxaphene may be 
dangerous to humans and livestock, hay or forage that has been treated with 
these insecticides should not be fed to dairy animals or to meat animals being 
finished for slaughter. Paris green is a strong poison. Thoroughly wash out 
containers that have been used for mixing bait. Dispose of surplus bait by 
broadcasting it thinly on the ground in a field. ie- 20764 -i 
Control 
PS. COMP. ZML 
CCT -9 1950 
Issued April 1941 
Revised August 1950 
HA®***3 
UNlVtaSiTY 
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. — Price, 5 cents 
