The life history of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) was studied during June-July 2018 under laboratory conditions at the Department of Agricultural Entomology, College of Agriculture, UAHS, Shivamogga, Karnataka. Gravid female was observed laying eggs with the fecundity 1064 eggs. Incubation, total larval and pupal period were observed to be from 2–3, 14–19 and 9–12 days, respectively. The total life cycle of male and female was observed to be 32–43 and 34–46 days, respectively. Under laboratory conditions, the larvae fed on hosts like sorghum, cabbage, tomato, groundnut and sugarcane but not on rice. The implications of the study on the off seasonal survival, host range, spread and establishment in India is discussed.