Another early-season pest that can attack both wheat and corn is the armyworm. We have received a couple of reports of economic infestations of armyworms in southern Illinois, so you need to be alert for these pests in wheat, corn adjacent to wheat, and no-corn in which grasses were prevalent this spring.
Females prefer to lay their eggs in very dense, grassy vegetation.
A single small but prominent white dot in the center of each forewing is evident. The female lays small, white eggs in rows or groups on leaves of grain or grass. The moth usually folds the leaf lengthwise and fastens the leaf about the eggs with a sticky secretion. The young larvae are pale green in color and have a looping habit when they crawl. Black stripes on the prolegs also are noticeable.