For some homeowners and business owners in Pennsylvania, contending with a pest infestation might feel like going up against an army—especially when it comes to armyworms. Armyworms are moth larvae and feed on your grass, leaving damage that resembles heat or drought stress on your lawn. If these pests infest your turf, you'll want to contact your local professionals and schedule a curative treatment immediately to eliminate them. Then, you'll want to take advantage of their lawn care services, like aeration and overseeding, to help it recover from the damage it sustained and build up its resistance to infestations in the future. Continue reading to learn more about armyworms and what you should do if you find these pests marching through your lawn!

What are armyworms, and what kind of damage can they cause?

A dry and brown lawn due to armyworm infestation by a home in Doylestown, PA.

Armyworms are the larvae of moths known for their voracious appetite and ability to travel in large groups, or "armies." These caterpillars can be destructive pests, as they feed on blades of grass and other vegetation, often consuming large amounts in a short period. As a result, they can cause significant damage that resembles heat or drought stress, leaving behind brown or bare patches of grass. They can also make the grass blades look chewed and ragged.

If your lawn is infested with armyworms, you'll want to schedule a curative treatment immediately to eliminate them.

If you suspect that your lawn is infested with armyworms, it's important to take action as soon as possible to prevent further damage. So, you'll want to contact professionals and schedule a curative treatment to eliminate them. Pros will come out to inspect your lawn and assess the extent of the armyworm infestation. Then, they'll apply highly effective treatments to the infested areas to kill these pests and prevent them from causing further damage to your lawn. That way, it can focus on recovering and rebuilding its strength.

You'll want to schedule overseeding and aeration services to help your lawn better withstand armyworms in the future.

Freshly aerated plugs on a backyard in Lansdale, PA.

While curative treatments will eliminate the armyworm infestation from your lawn, they can't reverse the damage it already sustained. Fortunately, you can help your lawn recover and build up its resistance to these pests in the future by scheduling aeration and overseeding services. Aeration breaks up compacted soil and creates passageways for nutrients and resources to reach the roots of your grass. With improved access to everything it needs, your lawn can quickly recover after an armyworm infestation and build up its strength to resist them in the future.

On the other hand, overseeding involves spreading grass seeds across your lawn to fill bare and patchy areas resulting from armyworms with new, healthy grass growth. That way, your turf becomes thicker and denser, which fortifies its defenses against stressors, including infestations. What's more, combining these services will produce even better results, as the holes created from aeration provide the perfect spot for the seeds to fall into! This encourages direct seed-to-soil contact, improving the chances of successful germination and establishment. Before long, your lawn will recover from the damage it sustained and be more equipped to withstand an armyworm infestation in the future.

Many lawn care professionals use cool-season seeds for their overseeding service because they thrive in the climate here in Pennsylvania.

Give us a call today to schedule our curative treatments for your armyworm infestation.

When it comes to battling armyworms, you don’t have to do it alone. Turn to our experts at Green Grass Lawncare, Inc., and we’ll send in reinforcements with our curative armyworm control treatment! We also offer aeration and overseeding services to help your lawn recover after an infestation and make it better equipped to withstand stressors in the future.

Since 2004, homeowners and business owners in Telford, Souderton, Harleysville, Quakertown, Perkasie, Doylestown, and other nearby communities in Pennsylvania have trusted us to provide effective armyworm control treatments. Give us a call today at (215) 723-1034 to schedule.