Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) was first detected on the Australian mainland in February 2020, having spread from South East Asia and quickly established across regions in Queensland, the Northern Territory and Northern parts of Western Australia. Eradication has been determined to be unfeasible and it is now classified as an endemic pest nationally, however it is considered a declared pest in Tasmania and sightings are notifiable to Biosecurity Tasmania. 

FAW is known to feed on more than 350 plant species and can have significant impact to crops. It has been known to favour crops such as; sweet corn, capsicum, beetroot, tomato, onion, cauliflower, lettuce, potato, maize, rice, sorghum and wheat. FAW is highly migratory and able to travel long distances (travel of up to 400km overnight have been observed), and it is likely to have arrived via wind dispersal from the mainland. 

FAW look similar to other army worms present in Australia, however there are two distinguishing features characterising FAW including - 

• Four dark spots at the end of their body arranged in a square. 

• Dark head with an upside, pale Y-shaped marking. 

The QDAF & GRDC Beatsheet has some great photos and information to help with identification.

Monitor and increase surveillance & reporting to help with management. Early identification is important to reduce damage to crops. 

Regular crop surveillance 
Regular crop surveillance and monitoring for FAW eggs and larvae is important to help minimise damages and reduce harvest losses. 

• Destructive sampling is critical to making management decisions. 

• Monitor susceptible host crops as soon as plants emerge, check the top and underside of leaves. 

• Monitor at several locations within a crop to ensure infestations are caught early. 

• Early identification of egg and larval stages enables control methods to be put in place before the FAW become protected from sprays for example in leaf whorls of cereal crops or maize. 

Monitoring with traps
You may want to consider putting some pheromone traps on your property to help identify FAW and here are some suggested options for traps.

• A bucket trap with a pheromone lure will attract male moths for monitoring purposes and may act as an early warning sign for migration of moths. 

• Regularly monitoring of the traps, sorting and recording of findings is important to monitor any trends. 

You can find information about the management of FAW here in the AUSVEG & Plant Health Australia 'Management of FAW in vegetable crops in Australia' guide. 

Cultural Control

• 'Come clean, go clean' - do you have a biosecurity plan in place for your business?

• Control of weeds and volunteer plants where possible to reduce alternative hosts for FAW. 

• Crop rotations with non-favoured hosts. 

Biological Control 

• Overseas, research suggests that while FAW does have several natural enemies (predators, parasitoids and pathogens), due to the pest’s strong migratory ability, high reproductive capacity, shorter lifecycle with multiple generations and range of plant hosts, many natural enemies are not able to solely prevent economic losses in commercial crops. Natural enemies will play a significant contribution in future FAW IPM programs. More info in the link above.

Chemical Control 

• See the APVMA permits portal (search for fall armyworm) for permits currently available.

  • There is also information on chemical management options available here from NSW DPI for reference. 

• FAW has high levels of resistance to synthetic pyrethroids and moderate levels of resistance to carbamates and these should be avoided because they will not control of FAW and they will destroy crop beneficials.

  • Watch Melinda Miles discuss integrated pest management including early monitoring, chemistries and natural enemies here (from 11 minutes). 

• Rotate insecticides that below got different mode of action groups. 

• Sprays should target egg and larval stages of FAW development. 

• Consider impact to beneficial insects and pollinator populations.

https://dpi.engagementhub.com.au/fallarmyworm
Contact: Ramesh Puri, Ramesh.puri@daf.qld.gov.au

• Read the latest news updates on FAW management, moth activities and seasonal patterns, and insecticide resistance results

• Access FAW R, D & E resources

• Engage in discussion, report on FAW activities, ask a question and provide feedback

AUSVEG Management of Fall Armyworm in Vegetable Crops in Australia
https://ausveg.com.au/app/uploads/2021/12/Final-pdf-standard-faw-guide_compressed.pdf

Video Recording - 'Preparing for the season in South East Australia, October 2023' 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjU9DkzhW58n