2024-02-08 13:39:38
The Miguel Lillo Institute received reports in recent days about the exaggerated presence of caterpillars in the Pedemonte area of Yerba Buena, La Rinconada and Villa Carmela.
Commonly known as the fall armyworm, or late armyworm, with the scientific name Spodoptera frugiperda, it is one of the main pests that attacks corn crops from the United States to Argentina.
Adrian ChalupDirector of the Institute of Entomology of the Miguel Lillo Foundation, informed LGPLAY that the type of insect is a caterpillar of a moth that inhabits this territory but is suffering from an unusual overpopulation that may be due to some migration from another province.
“People were shocked to see so many worms in the grass or in the pools of houses and, as this coincided with the heat wave, they believed that the grass had been burned by the sun,” commented the director.
The truth is that the caterpillars are barely visible when they emerge from the eggs, but as they grow they become noticeable and seek refuge from the heat in galleries or pools where they find death,” Chalup explained.
The species feeds on 190 different plants where the favorites include garden grass. The main queries are from homes, “there were no reports of attacks on crops and that is because Tucumán plants transgenic corn that releases the insecticides necessary to combat the caterpillar,” said the entomologist.
The specialist advises not to fumigate homes because the insects “do not cause any harm and this can generate negative consequences for the people who live in the homes and for beneficial organisms such as native bees and in the food chain of the oats that the caterpillars consume.” , he explained.
The phenomenon is seasonal since the life cycle of the species is approximately 30 days.
