Bermuda Grass – Green Again Soon After Killing Caterpillars

Q: Two days after realizing my bermuda lawn had army worms it was brown. We killed the caterpillars but the grass is still not green. Will the grass recover this year?

A: If the bermudagrass was reasonably healthy, it will green-up just fine next spring. Armyworm caterpillars come from eggs laid by small moths. They often come in on new sod but existing lawns can be infested if the moths are blown up from Florida on strong winds. They do not overwinter in north Georgia. Armyworms only eat the grass leaves, not the stem or roots. Since the lawn is so thin now, be sure to apply a pre-emergent weed control immediately to prevent winter weeds from sprouting.