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Bug problems in food plot

I have been planting fall food plots for the last few years and have had success with a brassica mix. I fertilized and limed and plants did well. Huge leaves on turnip tops which the deer devoured. This past year I ran into an issue with bugs. By the end of September all the leaves were gone. Some of the leaves looked like a skeleton with only the vanes remaining. Never had any issue before. Has anyone ever had this problem? I will try to add a few photos i took. I never did see the actual bugs since I planted and did not get back to property for a month and then leaves were gone. My property is in New York Cooperstown area.

Armyworms possibly. I’ve never seen them or had any problems with them, but a friend only a few miles away from me, had them infest his brassicas and wiped them out in a matter of just a few days.

Never heard of them that far north, but that's what it sounds like. Voracious little buggers. I've had them in my camphouse yard, but never in my plots. They ate half of my grass before I caught it, not living there. I just mowed it really close and got rid of them. Lots of guys won't plant crops down here until late October for fear of army worms.

Don......from what I’ve read on them, most likely, they are Fall Armyworms. They do not overwinter here up north, but the moths migrate here from the gulf states. There are chemicals that will treat the infestation, but it needs to be caught very quickly. Good thing your hogs can’t migrate that quickly!

I had a terrible problem with ticks and those nasty wolf spiders in my yard. Walking in from hunting I could see 100's of glowing eyes watching me. I went to tractor supply and bought the 10% permithron in the equine section and mixed it in my 25gal sprayer and sprayed my yard. Problem solved. So, that's what I'd do.

Thanks for the info guys. I am at a loss of what to do since I had such great success with what I was planting for years. Leafs grew real big and it was great to watch deer feed on them in the fall.

Colts19

Wolf spiders are hardly "nasty". They wouldn't hurt a fly---well, maybe a fly. I find their reflective, green eyes looking back at me kind of cool. In fact, their presence in my woods assures me that I may have a healthy ecosystem.

Talstar P may be a choice and applied if you are really worried about catching it in time which is critical as t-roy stated. The Army worms may not show again either. Allot depends on the weather in the spring and early summer. I might tend to spray it this year and let it go the following.

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