OLATHE, Kan. — A destructive pest is invading and feeding on lawns in our area.
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Have you seen brown patches on your lawn? Jacob Rhoades said it could be the result of armyworms.
Rhoades takes care of more than 15 lawns and recently found 10 lawns – including his own – destroyed by armyworms.
Last year, he only saw one case.
“[It’s] just irritating because you put a lot of time,” Rhoades said. “I’m the millennial guy who’s all about his grass, and now my grass is brown.”
Lawn experts said if you see brown or patchy spots in your yard, act fast.
Here’s how you can test to see if armyworms are the cause:
Mix dish soap with some water and pour it where the brown grass meets the green. They say seconds later, you’ll see the armyworms if that’s the issue.
“It’s like a creepy movie,” Rhoades said. “It’ll be anywhere from 5-15 of them. You could see that the blades of grass had been eaten by a worm.”
Grass Pad shared photos of an armyworm.
“They are so rapid that if you wait, they will destroy a very large area in a very short period of time,” Grass Pad Manager Robin Dennison said.
Dennison said an armyworm is caterpillar, or larva form of a moth.
She said in the last week, dozens of customers have contacted their stores, some in a panic.
Armyworms are eating through lawns everywhere from Gardner to Olathe, Overland Park, and even Lee’s Summit, according to Dennison.
“It’s not that common they come up here; they usually are little bit further south,” Dennison said.
She said the problem presents like a fungus.
You’ll see a small brown spot or maybe a series of brown patches, but don’t be fooled.
“And they’ll go ‘I took this picture yesterday, but now these patches are very large,’ and that’s because they’ve moved so quickly,” she said.
If you find out that armyworms are the culprit, Dennison said you should talk to an expert and treat your lawn fast.
“We’ve got a few solutions for you,” she said. “If a granule is better for you, we’ve got our quick kill grub control. If you haven’t treated for grubs, we also have a Critter Gitter in the granule form.”
Rhoades said after spraying and treating your lawn, it could take multiple days for it to recover.
If the armyworms moved too quickly and the lawn is too far gone, you may have to start from square one.
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