Posted on 08/13/2002 9:59:41 AM PDT by Willie Green
For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (AP) — As Arkansas wrestles with the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, residents of at least one county have another pest to combat: worms.
Jerry Clemons, Clark County's cooperative extension service agent, said army worms were spreading throughout the county and wreaking havoc on hay crops.
``They'll eat it to the ground down to nothing, and then they will move on,'' Clemons said.
Army worms, which are about a quarter inch in size, are the caterpillar stage of the noctuid moth. Because of the worm's fast reproductive cycle, it can take about a week to rid a hay crop from infestation.
The worms pose no physical harm to humans, but they can destroy a hay crop in a matter of hours.
The county is on its second army worm cycle, which runs between 28 and 31 days.
``They are pretty much spread all over. I'm getting calls from all over the county where they're at,'' Clemons said.
———
On the Net:
Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service: http://www.uaex.edu/
They get locusts next.
My guess would be the latter, although it's only a guess.
I would also suspect that the drought would favor propagation of other insect pests as well.
I thought the klintons detested the Army.
FMCDH
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.