Educational Video Recordings

Davis, T.*¹,
¹ CEA - Agriculture, UofA Division of Agriculture Research & Extension, Murfreesboro, AR, 71958

The Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a common problem in Southwest Arkansas pastures and hayfields. In 2017 and 2018, Pike County was the first county in Arkansas to report Fall Armyworm infestations. These infestations were reported much earlier than normal in early June. Producers were faced with two options, apply pesticide or cut the fields. Many producers chose to treat with a short term insecticide, which only gave them a small break in the life cycle.

In an effort to help my producers detect Fall Armyworm infestations earlier, I created this video. Early detection allows producers the ability to apply an insecticide with a residual control. Most producers could extend control for 14-12 days, allowing the hayfield to reach harvest stage. Since we do not have any row crops in Pike County, very few of my producers have a sweep net. They also do not have a PVC square to count infestation load. By integrating these tools into the video, I had several producers call the office with questions about where to purchase or how to make these tools.

The Facebook post had 251 viewers and the YouTube upload had 4. While this is not a great number of contacts, the video did lead to producers calling the office and inquiring about Fall Armyworm control and scouting. Those who applied insecticide with residual control increased hay production and lowered control costs.

The video can be found at https://www.facebook.com/uaexpikeag/videos/909479402723117/ or on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJuOtuUu7K0&t=26s