How to Identify Armyworms

Trying to keep a garden free of pests is a challenging task. Fortunately, there is a long list of preventative measures you can use to accomplish this task. The first step is to identify the specific parasitical threats in your garden. When you do, you can work more effectively to bugs' progressive destruction. Here's how to identify armyworms.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Understand that there are several types of armyworm, including the fall, beet, southern, yellow striped and true armyworm. Each of these has subtle distinctions, but they all share common characteristics as well.

2. Look for a caterpillar-like worm that is 1 to 1 1/4 inches long. The armyworm has slightly less hair than the caterpillar.

3. Check for a black spot on the back of the worm's head; most armyworms have this feature. Southern and yellow striped armyworms do not; instead, they have a head color of yellow or orange.

4. Observe the color of the worm's body. Most armyworms have a body coloring of gray or green. The yellow striped and southern armyworms have yellow or orange coloring.

5. Check for black markings down the side of the worm's body. Again, the yellow striped armyworms are different in that they have a yellow stripe on the side of their bodies instead.