Integrated Pest Management for the Wheat Head Armyworm Complex in the Pacific Northwest

The wheat head armyworm complex is comprised of two armyworm species, Dargida diffusa (Walker) and Dargida terrapictalis (Buckett), which caused recent and sporadic damage to cereal crops in the Pacific Northwest. This was the first record of D. diffusa as a pest in the PNW. While D. terrapictalis is native to the region, it has not been recorded previously as a pest. This publication covers identification, biology and integrated pest management for WHAC. We emphasize pest monitoring and field scouting methods, and also discuss natural insecticides.