Grass dying in your lawn? Army worms could be the culprit.

ATLANTA — If patches of your lawn are looking dry, it might not be that they’re not getting enough water. It could be dead.

Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Eboni Deon says a larger amount of Army worms across Georgia than normal have done plenty of damage in recent weeks.

Rebecca Boland told Deon that her family went away for the weekend and when try returned just a few days later, her sister-in-law’s yard was damaged.

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Arrow Exterminators Senior Service Manager Randy Chendemi says that while many people see these patches and assume there’s a drought and their lawn isn’t getting enough water, that isn’t the case.

“It’s actually the worms are eating under the roots and killing those spots, and they’re literally marching across the yard, destroying the grass,” Chendemi said.

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It’s not just happening in Georgia either, Chendemi says. It’s becoming an issue across the country.

“In the north, they’ve even seen a larger increase in the numbers because of all the hurricanes that went through, they actually carry them north with them. And so people in the northern states that don’t necessarily see them are seeing more numbers,” he said.

Steve Posten told Deon he wasn’t sure what happened to the tomato plants in his yard.

“They come in just a matter of hours, sometimes a day, and just mostly rip all the leaves off of it,” he said. “My wife was trying to figure out what it was and I said I think it’s some kind of worm.”

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To stop these worms from destroying your yard, check for shaded areas and piles of leaves they can hide under. If those spots have a large flock of birds, it could be a sign of army worms as birds like to feed on them.

The good news is most of the damage is not permanent and can be treated.

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