If Facebook comments are any indication, North Texas is under invasion by an army of armyworms and moths.
“The moths are swarming,” noted Kenneth Reese of Burleson.
“It’s so disgusting in Richland Hills!” said Anna Scribner Bagley.
“I have a horde of moths finding their way into my screened in patio and into my apartment!” wrote Presley Impson, who said she lives in downtown Dallas.
The moths and the worms – which are technically caterpillars – are an aberration in this area in these numbers, according to experts from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.
“It’s very rare that they get this bad, that we get so many calls and emails and reports about it,” said Dottie Woodson, Ph.D. “It’s very rare, and so that is why a lot of people are so confused about it.”
What people have no doubt noticed are one of two things – their green, leafy lawns have been slowly eaten up in recent days, or they have seen an inundation of moths during the daytime.
The moths have flocked to North Texas from down south after the record-setting rain in September, followed by a noticeable uptick in temperatures.
But, according to Woodson, any brown spots on your grass as a result of armyworms will grow back.
“They are going to only eat the grass blades. They are not going to eat the runners. They are not going to eat the roots,” Woodson said. “So usually in the lawn area we don’t need to worry so much about it. It is not going to kill the lawn.”
Farmers face the biggest risk. Experts at Texas A&M warn that a swarm of armyworms can damage entire fields or pastures in just a few days.
Any pesticide that people put down to fight off the caterpillars should wait until after any forecast rainfall.
