Fall armyworm research, development and extension for horticulture
Latest news and updates
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Familiarity with fall armyworm eggs — Quick guide
A new familiarity with fall armyworm eggs — Quick guide fact sheet is available through the VG22006 national FAW project. The guide supports familiarising with FAW egg masses and egg developmental stages, as well as timely IPM decisions. It is designed for growers, advisers and industry stakeholders. -
Fall armyworm industry meeting in Lockyer Valley
Thirty growers and industry representatives attended the fall armyworm (FAW) industry meeting coordinated by the VG22006 project team at the Gatton Research Facility on 24 February 2026. The meeting addressed priority topics raised in previous industry discussions, including Provivi Pherogen mating disruption, pheromone trapping and egg monitoring, Bowen–Burdekin trial updates, NPV trials, Metarhizium research, insecticide resistance monitoring, and sweet corn varietal trial results. -
Evaluating the potential for vegetative-stage economic thresholds for fall armyworm (FAW) in sweet corn
For the widely grown sweet corn variety Garrison, no economic threshold could be established because plants experience significant yield and harvestability losses even with the shortest exposure to FAW during the vegetative stages. Infestations of one larva per plant for just one week during mid- to late-vegetative stages led to stunting, infertility, and poorly filled cobs. A longer infestation period of 3 weeks resulted in more severe impacts and almost total yield loss. -
Webinar: Strengthening Insecticide Resistance Management for Fall Armyworm Across the Region
How are industries around the world managing insecticide resistance in fall armyworm? Three experts from the US and Indonesia shared their knowledge and experience of managing FAW insecticide resistance with Australian industries and researchers at a webinar in December. -
Fall armyworm’s secret life on capsicum
Research led by Dr Trevor Volp, DPI Queensland, has investigated how Fall Armyworm and two other key caterpillar pests – namely cluster caterpillar (Spodoptera litura) and Helicoverpa armigera – infest capsicum during reproductive crop stages. The research explains what growers have observed with FAW in capsicum crops. Understanding these infestation patterns will help guide monitoring efforts and inform management decisions. -
Lockyer Valley industry gets updated on fall armyworm trials and ongoing research
A total of 24 growers, agronomists, and researchers from Lockyer Valley and Fassifern Valley gathered at the Gatton Research Facility in mid-September to discuss previous trial results and ongoing research on fall armyworm. Dr. Melina Miles, an entomologist from QDPI presented results from trials conducted as part of the VG23006 investment (Hort Innovation & QDPI), which included the following: -
Collaboration strengthens fall armyworm management in Bowen–Burdekin
The Bowen–Burdekin FAW industry meeting brought together 24 growers, agronomists, researchers, and service providers to exchange research updates and field observations on fall armyworm (FAW) management. Key discussions covered unusually high FAW pressure in the Burdekin, promising results from pupae-busting trials, and improvements in monitoring tools such as pheromone traps and RapidAIM sensors. -
Potential parasitoids for management of fall armyworm in horticulture systems of tropical Australia
From a collection of 1,900 fall armyworm larvae in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, researchers identified ten species of larval parasitoids as well as two species of egg parasitoids. Among the larval parasitoids, Cotesia ruficrus and Exorista xanthaspis were found to be the most abundant, accounting for 56.14% and 50%, respectively. The two egg parasitoid species recorded had parasitism rates of 7.81% for Trichogramma pretiosum and 10.16% for Telenomus remus. -
Webinar highlights and video link: push-pull system for sustainable fall armyworm control in Africa
Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) extension officer Dr Ramesh Puri, hosted the webinar ‘Integrated Pest Management for fall armyworm: Experiences from Africa’ on 18 July, in collaboration with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Kenya. Thirty-five researchers and extension officers from across Australia participated in the event, which was delivered by the Hort Innovation co-funded fall armyworm extension project.
FAW moth catches from pheromone traps
Bowen (North Queensland) FAW moth catches
Gatton (South East Queensland) FAW moth catches
Updated: 16 June 2026
Various peak values have been recorded, most of which occur during the warm-weather season. Since the initiation of the trapping program, the highest number of male moths collected on traps was between January and February 2024.
Weekly moths catch: 0 / week
Tenthill (South East Queensland) FAW moth catches
Updated: 5 May 2026
A pheromone trap baited with Pherolure was deployed at Tenthill, Lockyer Valley, in February 2025 during the sweet corn growing season.
Weekly moths catch: 118 / week
