[Objectives]  To clarify monitoring methods and occurrence patterns of Spodoptera frugiperda in Henan province and thereby improve the precision of monitoring this important migratory pest. [Methods]  Data on the fall armyworm obtained by various monitoring methods in Henan Province from 2019 to 2021 were comprehensively analyzed. [Results]  Adults were always captured after larvae during the study period. Sex pheromone traps usually detected the first adult immigration into each region, searchlight trapping captured the most adults. In 2019, S. frugiperda were first detected in the south of Henan province, then in the southwest, west, middle, east and north. In 2020 and 2021, S. frugiperda were first detected in the southwest, then in the south, middle, east, west, and north. Adults first appeared in southern or southwestern Henan in July and were present until mid-to-late October. The number of adults in central, eastern and northern Henan increased sharply after mid-August, peaking in mid-September. Before mid-July, the range of the fall armyworm in Henan province was relatively small. However, it subsequently increased significantly after August. There was a high density of larvae on late-sown corn, but numbers were relatively small on conventional summer-sown corn in Yuanyang county, in Xinxiang city. [Conclusion]  A combination of trapping using searchlights and sex pheromone lures, plus monitoring the abundance of larvae in late-sown corn fields, can improve the sensitivity and accuracy of monitoring S. frugiperda.