Armyworms are marching across the US, here is all you need to know

There have been reports of large swaths of armyworms, specifically the fall armyworm, invading lawns, eating up grass and plants in an infestation, which experts say they have not seen in decades.

Rick Brandenburg, who works as an entomologist at North Carolina State University, said that the insects are laying siege to areas such as North Carolina, Texas, Michigan and northeastern states, which rarely see such significant armyworm populations.

"This year is like a perfect storm. In my 40 years, I have never seen the problem as widespread as it is this year,” Brandenburg told USA Today.

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As per entomologist Thomas Kuhar, this was the largest infestation he has seen in 30 years, and “perhaps the most unique”.

The professor at Virginia Tech said that the armyworms are often found in crops such as corn, rice and sorghum, but this year’s outbreak is selectively targeting lawns and some hayfields.

Eric Rebek, an Oklahoma State University entomology professor highlighted that there are two kinds of armyworms, the true armyworm and the fall armyworm.

The fall armyworms are indigenous to the US and are the larval stage of the fall armyworm moth.

The caterpillars grow up to two inches long and can be green, brown or black in colour. Rebek said they can be identified by an inverted white "y" on their head capsules. A single female can lay as many as 1,500 eggs.