How to control fall armyworm in maize (makka) crop?

Spraying into the whorl in the evening is the trick. If you spray over the top in daytime it does little. I rotate two different chemicals so the worm does not get used to one.

I put a pinch of sand into the whorl when larvae are small and it really cut down the damage cheaply. Pheromone traps told me when the moths arrived so I sprayed at the right time.

Scout your field every two or three days in the early stage. Once the larva goes deep into the whorl and grows big, no spray reaches it well. Catching the small ones is the whole game.

Always follow the gap on the label before harvest if you spray, especially on sweet corn or fodder maize that animals eat. I note the spray date so I do not cut or feed too soon after.

In Telangana we found that when everyone in the village sows around the same time the worm pressure is lower than when fields are sown in patches over many weeks. Staggered sowing keeps giving the moth fresh young plants. Try to sow together with neighbours.

Do not mix three or four chemicals in one tank hoping for a stronger kill, it just wastes money and can harm the crop. One recommended product sprayed properly into the whorl in the evening works better than a random cocktail.

Birds helped me more than I expected. Where I left a few perches in the maize, the mynas and other birds picked off larvae. Along with traps and a need based spray it kept the damage low without heavy chemical use.