News: Clark County, Wis. - Army Worms (21 July 1954)

Contact: Dolores Mohr Kenyon

E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Ihlenfeldt

----Source: The Loyal Tribune (Loyal, Clark Co., WI.) July 21, 1954

Army Worms (21 July 1954)

Army worms began appearing in Clark County this past week in the towns of Mayville and Thorp, according to Stanley W. Ihlenfeldt, County Agent.  The first worms attacking corn fields.

Corn fields infected with army worms should be treated with 2 pounds of actual Toxaphene per acre. Since the corn is not too tall as yet, it can be easily applied with tractor mounted sprayers.  Any other crops which will be harvested shortly such as hay and grain should be treated with one pound of Methoxychlor per acre as a spray.

Since the corn borer is beginning to appear, a few farmers are confusing the two insects. The corn borer lays its eggs on the underside of the leaf. The egg hatches and the larvae eat a small pin hole on the leaf before going directly into the stalk. The army worm hatches near the tassel and will eat out large sections of leaves, leaving just the mid rib exposed.

Another way to distinguish the two insects apart is that army worms usually feed at night, are hairless and colored grey, brown or blackish, and will attain a length of one to one and a half inches long; while the corn borer on the other hand is flesh colored, marked with small round brown spots and grows to a length of from three-fourths of an inch in length and is always found in the stalk of the plant.