Chilo infuscatellus jungle rice ("Echinochloa colona"), barley ("Hordeum vulgare"), rice ("Oryza sativa"), millet ("Panicum"), pearl millet ("Pennisetum glaucum"), sugarcane ("Saccharum officinarum"), sorghum ("Sorghum bicolor") and maize ("Zea mays"). Young larvae eat small holes in the leaves, particularly the leaf sheaths. As they grow, the larvae feed on the tips of the shoots, killing the growing points, and later still, they bore into the stems, creating galleries and producing frass which drops from the holes. The stems become brittle and the dead hearts of the plants are characteristic of this pest. Control of "Chilo infuscatellus" in sugar plantations is difficult. The plants are
Mythimna separata light dorsal stripe, with black-brown lateral stripe along spiracle line. spiracles brown with black rim. Pupae are yellowish brown and shiny. The moth flies from January to April depending on the location. The larvae feed on a range of agricultural plants like "Zea mays", "Sorghum bicolor" and "Oryza sativa" and are thus considered a pest. Caterpillars do not feed on "Momordica charantia" due to the presence of the triterpenoid glucoside called momordicine II, which is a natural inhibitor of caterpillar actions. China experiences periodic outbreaks of northern armyworm infestation. The outbreak in 2012 was particularly severe. Larva can be hand