Worms or caterpillars? Since we are not psychic, photos of the creatures in question are absolutely essential to make any kind of identification.

And your location would help.

tj

Wow. I was like who is being so rude with their replies. Then realized this isnt only posted at the Oklahoma forum, where we tend to be a little more helpful and kind. Lol!

Anyway, maybe look up pictures of an army worm. Theres a yellow striped one. It could be your critter.

What in the world is "rude" about those replies? This is basic information that should be provided with every garden-related posting. And is routinely asked for when not.

Who knew Oklahomans had such thin skin!

I think the yellowstripe armyworm has TWO yellow stripes. One on each side. But again, a picture would help a lot. To the extent it is really doing damage, Bt will get rid of caterpillars very effectively.

The site below has an assortment of yellow striped caterpillers images, esp on the right side panel of the screen. This is why folks ask for pics as it's just a guessing game without pics most of the time.

https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=APwXEddt9R7UTyTZx3yQBJsb42ym_pbCpg:1685309011883&q=butterfly+caterpillars&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0wfWn-Zj_AhXglGoFHSZLCH0Q0pQJegQICxAB#imgrc=yaU5SHDpaRjoHM

BT is good for killing most worms. The only time I had a large infestation of army worms, along with many ranchers in this county, the Farmers Co-op told us that they were selling a lot of Eight insecticide to the other ranchers. We had to act fast to try to save late pastures. We saved the pastures, but it took a lot of spray, but still cheaper than buying winter feed.

As much supporting information as possible should be given whenever a question is asked. A pic or three does wonders when asking for an ID. Otherwise it's like me asking if anyone can identify a tree with green leaves I saw while driving down the highway...

There is nothing rude about asking for more info, especially when it is being asked to make a more precise ID. We could make guesses but they could be way off. Sawfly larvae were another possibility in addition to caterpillars and actual worms. And if this wasn't cross posted to the Oklahoma forum (that I didn't even notice until I read hazelinok's comment) we would have no idea where in the world you are. You could have been in the Phillipines for all we knew, as the vegetable gardening forum has users all over the globe (most of us who use this forum have our USDA hardiness zone as well as general location next to our usernames to make things easier).

Rodney

Okay, friends. I posted this as I was dashing out the door to church. I'll try to be more precise next time. Thanks for your help.

With regard to Eight Insecticide, be aware that while cypermethrin/permethrin is not particularly hazardous to humans, it is deadly to bees. But I guess if you keep the stuff away from blooming crops, you'd be OK. For caterpillar mitigation, Bt (the standard kurstaki strain) is definitely the way to go.

HU-673, I’m so sorry that your experience here was less than kind. We love to help ID critters, and no one means to be short with you. I hope you come back to us any time you need some help.

In the future, help us help you by giving us your general location as well as any description of the insect (or other) that could be helpful. Was this ”worm” smooth, hairy, or spiky? I find the fact that you observed a couple of them on the ground very interesting, as opposed to crawling around on a plant of some sort.

Anyway, I hope that we see you again in this forum.

Y'all. I was laughing (there's a lol in my first post) because the replies before mine were different than what is normal at the Oklahoma forum. And for us, those replies weren't exactly rude, but just....abrupt? That is what threw me off and why I was like, "why are our people being rude". But....I realized then that it was not "our" people. This was posted at other forums. And people are different in different parts of the country and world. And communicate differently. (I learned that the hard way on a trip to NYC at age 18. haha!)

No thin skinned people around here. ;)

We would ask for pictures....just would ask differently.

Anyway...carry on. Let's get this worm ID'd! :)

we dont kill every bug we see ...

unless we can ID any actual damage.. we let them be..

total eradication of all bugs.. just isnt going to happen.. and you are just as apt to kill all the beneficials.. only causing more trouble ..

soooo.. since you just saw them on the ground.. then there is nothing to do.. if and when you find that on an actual plant.. and they are on the verge of destroying a plant.. then take some action... but a bitten leaf here or there.. really shouldnt have you running to the store to start world war 3 in your garden ...

all that said.. knowledge is power.. so getting an ID is a great way to start.. and a pic or two should do it for you....

btw.. go out with a flashlight at night.. you might find where they are going..

ken

Different forums do have different cultures. It can be pretty weird!

Like Ken says, if they aren't doing anything bad, it makes sense to let them be. If you haven't noticed any plant damage, then whatever they are doing with their lives isn't a problem. In the meantime, they are providing food for birds and other animals and will mature into helpful pollinators.

But it's always nice to do an ID to make sure they aren't creeping fire caterpillars coming for your woodwork. So try to take a photo when you see them again. :P