Exploring Landscape Setups

Discovering If Pests Are Devouring Your Lawn

8 June 2017 by Tanya Green

You water your lawn regularly. You apply fertilizer and even aerate the lawn on a yearly basis. However, your lawn still features patches of dead grass. The problem could be pests. Common pests include grubs, chinch bugs, and worms. These little parasites burrow in the ground and munch away at your beautiful lawn. Discover if you have these little nasties, and then explore how to get rid of them.

Grubs

White or chafer grubs are the larval form of beetles. As Home and Garden TV points out, the problems caused by grubs are two-fold. First, the grubs themselves feed on the roots of your grass. Second, their natural predators – birds and badgers – wreck your lawn in trying to get at them.

You can tell if you have grubs if you see wilted grass that turns into brown patches. The turf they leave behind as they burrow into the root system is spongy. You can also lift the patches and see the grubs themselves.

As HGTV points out, a biological solution is watering in nematodes, which are non-segmented roundworms. You can also have the lawn treated with sprays.

Sod Webworm

Sod webworms are another larval pest. Both the larvae and the adult moths feed on grass. The worms themselves can get quite large. They're either brown or green with dark spots. As with grubs, additional damage comes from birds foraging for the worms.

Both the worms and the adult moths eat entire blades of grass. You'll see brown patches of turf grasses with holes. You may also notice the moths themselves first. Go out at night and look for buff-colored moths hovering over your lawn.

Nematodes are an effective method of controlling sod webworms, too. Pyrethrins, which are organic compounds derived from chrysanthemums, are also effective. Insecticidal soaps can work, too.

Chinch Bug

Chinch bugs are suckers – literally. These little bugs like to suck the juices from grass blades. What's more, they inject toxins that cause the grass to stop absorbing water and eventually loosen the soil. Naturally, that causes the grass to wither and die.

Chinch bug damage is most visible in the summer months – this is when they're actively eating up your lawn. The obvious symptom of chinch bug infestation is the grass takes on a purple tinge, which is the bugs themselves. From there, the grass turns brown.

Insecticidal soaps can work on chinch bugs, but full-strength insecticide applications may be necessary.

Get rid of your insect pests, and restore your lawn to its full beauty. To learn more, contact a lawn care service agency near you. 

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