The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered the immediate distribution of P900,000-worth of knapsack sprayers and recommended insecticides to control the proliferation of army worm insects that attack farms in Batangas, Cavite, and Quezon provinces.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala instructed Undersecretary Joel Rudinas and Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo to monitor the infestations.

Last Monday, Araullo visited Cavite, Batangas, and Quezon to coordinate with local officials and technicians.

The DA chief also instructed the DA Regional Field Units in Regions 4-A (Calamba, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon or Calabarzon) and 3 (Central Luzon), and the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to coordinate closely with the respective provincial and municipal governments.

Wilma Cuaterno, BPI Crop Protection Division chief, and Cecille Manzanilla, DA- Regional Crop Protection Center chief, were assigned to provide technical information to local government units, farmers and the general public on how to effectively control army worms and other pests.

"Army worms are nocturnal moth larvae that travel in multitudes, destroying any kind of vegetation including grass and grain on their path. One egg mass is equivalent to 100 to 300 eggs, which turn into voracious defoliators once hatched. They are most destructive during their larval stage, which lasts 14-24 days," Manzanilla said.

Army worms are most destructive during their larval stage and may be controlled by applying recommended insecticides such as “Carbaryl” and “Pyrethroids.”

“The chemicals should be sprayed directly to the army worms or to the vegetation, where the pests are visible during late afternoons when they are most active,” the experts said.

“We are urging the extension workers and farmers to follow proper procedures in the application of recommended chemicals as indicated in their labels. We are also urging farmers to always wear protective gears during insecticide application,” they recommended.

Aside from the spray, other non-chemical solutions recommended by RCPC are the cutting of vegetation and digging of shallow ditches.

The initial attack of army worms in the first district of Batangas was reported early July.

Since then, the DA, through the BPI and RCPC, has been conducting monitoring and assessment activities to control further damage.

Cuaterno said the DA-BPI has been conducting a series of seminars since second quarter 2009 until first quarter 2010 to warn and enjoin regional, provincial and municipal agriculturists, crop protection specialists and technicians, and Integrated Pest Management or Kalikasan farmer cooperators to prepare for occurrence of pests and diseases as a result of the prolonged dry spell due to El Niño phenomenon.

Such pests include army worms, cutworms, locusts, and field rats, and crop diseases such as tungro and bacteria leaf blight.