Fall armyworms return to Nebraska in droves, posing threats to lawns, crops

Experts are sounding the alarm about a tiny green caterpillar feeding on lawns in Southeast Nebraska, killing grass and damaging crops.

Kait Chapman, an extension educator of urban entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said she is already seeing reports of damage from fall armyworms.

The pests, which haven't made a noticeable return to the Lincoln area since 2021, can be found in turf grass such as lawns, sports fields, golf courses and even crop plants. There’s no specific type of grass the worms — which are in the larval stage and eventually transform into moths — prefer.

Four years ago, homeowners in Lancaster, Douglas and Sarpy counties reported several to hundreds of fuzzy egg masses outdoors. It didn’t take long before the eggs hatched, giving way to a fall armyworm ou