High temps and Tropical Storm Debby bring armyworms that destroy lawns

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Have you been seeing brown spots in your yard lately? You're not the only one you may be experiencing an infestation of armyworms.

We talked to Wilson Harris who is the owner of the North Raleigh Lawn Doctor branch and says his phone has been ringing off the hook lately for these calls.

Fall armyworms, as they are officially called, look similar to caterpillars and tend to feast on Bermuda and fescue grass but have a wide appetite and over their 21 day life cycle can kill your yard.

Wilson showed us his quick trick to find them in a yard just a bucket of water and soap and the critters rise to the surface.

Then he finds the best way to treat them.

"So if you see them now, if we don't treat them, they could continue to grow in number and in size and continue to inflict damage in your lawn," he said.

But he says if it goes untreated they can take over a yard very fast.

"That's amazing. They're just trying to grow. They're trying to get as big as they can, as fast as they can to change into that next stage of life. So they're just feeding on foliage usually it's grass, very frequently it's trees and shrubs. I have seen some begonias and customers lawns that were just decimated. They were crawling all over the begonias," explained Harris

Wilson says usually they see a rise in this species in September but the recent tropical storm and heat have brought them early.

He expects them to be gone when the first frost of the season arrives.