The caterpillar larvae are the damaging stage of the Lawn Armyworm lifecycle. After incubating for two to five days, eggs hatch into larvae (caterpillars). Eggs are initially a creamish-tan colour, darkening with age. Eggs are round-to-oval shaped and 0.5 mm in diameter. Females generally lay 1800 - 2000 eggs over a period of five to six days, later dying after reproducing. Eggs are generally laid in dense vegetation at the tip of a leaf but may also be found on hard surfaces and structures near a food source.
Severe infestations can occur after a period of dry conditions followed by wet.Īfter mating, the adult female moth lays eggs in a cluster of 150 - 200, covering them in a mass of grey-hairs (setae). In ideal conditions, activity may extend into autumn.
The lifecycle generally lasts for five to nine weeks, with two to four generations per year in spring and summer. Eggs hatch into larvae (caterpillars), larvae grow and develop through various stages, larvae pupate, then finally emerge as adult moths. During its lifetime, Lawn Armyworm undergo complete physical transformation (also known as holometabolous metamorphosis).
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