NEWS
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Zimbabwe . They are believed to have arrived in Africa in drought and famine relief maize imported from the Americas . A number of pesticides have been registered to combat them . The Fall Armyworm gets its name from the way the worms march from grasslands to crops . They are also known as Amerikaanse Kommandowurm . A pest action group has been established to monitor the
Fall Armyworm eggs on a mielie leaf impact . The pest flies on prevailing winds , has a short life-cycle , and attacks a wide range of crops , rendering it a serious risk to national food security . There have been records of damage on spinach , sugarcane , rice , lucerne , sunflower , wheat , cabbages , pepper , soya , potatoes , pastures and grasses . However , it is particularly fond of maize and can devour almost the whole plant . So what are you looking for ? Eggs are laid in batches of 20-
250 on both sides of leaves . The insect goes through six
Worm damage to a mielie stem developmental stages from egg to moth stage , and is difficult to differentiate from some other worms . Even the moths are similar to other species . What you will be able to identify is the damage that the pest is doing to your mielies . It attacks the leaves and damages the silk . It then proceeds to eat into the ear of corn from the outside and inside . It feeds at
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