Farmers urged to manage beet armyworm population in warmer months

The Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) is encouraging farmers to ramp up mitigation strategies to control the beet armyworm population in their fields.

The beet armyworm, which develops into a moth commonly called the Small Mottled Willow Moth, is one of the most popular agricultural pests.

Senior Plant Health and Food Safety Officer with RADA, Francine Webb, told JIS News that with rising temperatures, conditions are favourable for the growth of the pest population.

“What farmers must do now is to monitor their farms. With beet armyworm, we must remember that they operate mostly at night. The eggs are laid in egg sacs, so there are between 50 and 150 eggs at a time,” she said.

The senior plant health and food safety officer also noted that the pests can do quite a bit of damage in a very short space of time.

“We have very little tolerance for them, so once you see them, we say utilise the pheromone traps. That will help in monitoring the population at this time across all these areas because you are expecting now at this time that the population will increase in your area,” Webb said.

“Beet armyworm numbers are also impacted by what is happening around you with your neighbour's activity. So, pheromone traps help in monitoring that population and helps you in guiding what action you need to take in the field,” she added.

Pheromone traps can also be used to disrupt mating and inhibit or eliminate reproduction.

Farmers can visit the nearest RADA Office to access pheromone traps and other resources to help manage the pest.

- JIS News

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