A crisis exemption has been granted for a new insecticide to help Texas farmers and ranchers battle a serious outbreak of armyworms. The exemption, granted Sept. 29 by the Texas Department of Agriculture, will allow the agricultural insecticide Confirm 2F to be used on all pastures and rangeland. Confirm 2F, or tebufenozide is manufactured by Rohm and Haas and normally is used only on pecans and cotton. It is an outstanding product for armyworm control.
Armyworms can cause serious damage in one to two days before the damage is even noticed.
The larval form of a moth that migrates northward from South Texas in the spring and summer is called armyworm because it moves across pastures like an advancing army. Each moth may lay 50 or more eggs on a blade of grass. If there has been a rain, the armyworms hatch in legions and start eating. We do expect populations to decrease in late October because of cooler weather, but producers should continue to inspect their fields for armyworm populations until frost. Hoelscher urged producers to have a copy of the crisis exemption label before treatment and to follow all directions for application.