Divisi
Red teff worm
Mentaxya ignicollis · Insect
Photo: W.M. Hantsbarger, Bugwood.org · CC BY 3.0 us
The red teff worm (Mentaxya ignicollis) is the caterpillar of a night-flying moth and one of the most damaging pests of teff. The soft, reddish-brown caterpillars hide at the plant base or down in cracks in the soil by day, then come out at night to cut through young seedlings and strip the leaves. They flare up in warm, wet spells after the rains begin, and a heavy attack can clear a young stand of teff right down to bare soil.
Ryan Hodnett · CC BY-SA 4.0 
Timothy A. Gonsalves (User:Tagooty) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Why it matters
A bad outbreak of red teff worm can take up to half your teff crop (50%) — in just a few nights it can strip a young stand down to bare soil. Because the caterpillars feed at night and spend the day hidden at the plant base and in soil cracks, you usually see the ruined seedlings long before you ever set eyes on the worm — and by then there may already be many. Once a patch has been cleared there is little left to save, so the cheap, safe wins are to knock their numbers down before you sow and to catch those first cut seedlings early.
When to act
several reddish larvae per square metre or visible defoliation on young seedlings
This guidance is general, compiled from published agronomic references including FAO and CABI. Thresholds and timing shift with your crop, your variety and the season.
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The full red teff worm field guide
- Identify it
- Scout for it
- Control it
12 field-guide sections in the app
The full guide to red teff worm — every symptom to check, how and when to walk your field looking for it, and the controls that actually work, ranked. Built into your crop plan, so you are told to look before it costs you a harvest.
Crops it affects
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify red teff worm?
The damage shows first — and usually overnight. In the morning you find young teff seedlings cut clean through at or near the ground and toppled over on the soil, leaves chewed ragged and stripped back to the stalk, and bare, thinning patches spreading through the stand. Often there is no caterpillar in sight — it fed in the dark and has already crept back into hiding.
When should I take action against red teff worm?
several reddish larvae per square metre or visible defoliation on young seedlings
How do I control red teff worm?
Prevent it — start in the soil, before you sow. Plough and harrow deeply to turn up the larvae (young caterpillars) and pupae (the resting stage between caterpillar and moth) hiding in the ground, so the sun, drying air and birds can finish them off. Sow at the recommended time for your area so your seedlings rush past the tenderest stage quickly, and keep the field and its edges clear of weeds and volunteer (self-sown) grasses, which shelter and feed the worm between crops.
Which crops does red teff worm affect?
Among the crops covered here: Teff.
Catch it before it costs you a harvest
Divisi builds scouting into your crop plan — it tells you when to walk your field, what to look for at that stage, and what to do when you find it. Free for farmers, works offline.
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