Posted on November 22, 2024 by Lawn Doctor
Numerous insect species live in your lawn, with many contributing to its lush and healthy appearance. Parasitic insects or infestations, however, can cause serious damage if left unchecked. Learn about these common insects and how to manage their presence or remove them altogether.
Grubs are the larvae of beetle species, such as Japanese beetles and different species of June bugs. These pests typically live just below the soil surface, where they can feed on the roots of grass and other vegetation. Grubs are C-shaped, white and wrinkled larvae with legs near their heads, and they usually measure between 0.25 inches and 1 inch. Grubs emerge from their eggs in mid to late summer. When temperatures drop in autumn, they burrow and stay below the frost line throughout the winter. They resurface in the fall and continue feeding on roots until they reach pupal and adult stages.
Populations often grow during moderate temperatures, increasing into the summer and tapering off in the fall. Because grubs thrive in moisture, they do well in over-watered lawns. Beetles also prefer to lay eggs in areas rich with organic materials, where grubs have plenty of feeding and hiding opportunities.
While you can’t control seasonal temperatures, you can implement grub deterrents. Maintaining a healthy lawn through proper watering, aeration, drainage and fertilization promotes strong root systems. Mow to the correct height — cutting grass too short exposes the roots, stresses your lawn and makes it more vulnerable to grub infestation. If grubs infest your lawn, targeted pest treatments can help remove them.
Measuring about 4 millimeters, chinch bugs are tough to see but potentially devastating for your lawn. Adult chinch bugs are black with white patches between their wings, and adolescents are light red with a white stripe. They may give off a strong odor, especially in cases of infestation. Minor chinch bug populations are normal, about 10 to 15 bugs per square foot. Extreme heat and drought, however, may allow populations to spike, leading to dead grass patches.
Thriving in hot and arid areas, chinch bugs often establish in sunny areas of your lawn that are most prone to dryness. They feed on sap from turfgrass, such as Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and crabgrass, effectively dehydrating it, and inject a toxic that prevents the grass from absorbing more water and rehydrating. Watering a dry patch with chinch bugs won’t fix brown spots or rehydrate grass — the patch will keep spreading as long as it’s infested.
To prevent chinch bugs, practice proper aeration, fertilization and mowing. Maintain a consistent watering or irrigation schedule during hot weather, ensuring your lawn doesn’t dry out in unshaded areas. If your lawn is infested, professional pest treatments help prevent and control populations. Multiple treatments may be necessary to account for rapid lifecycles and unhatched eggs.
Sod webworms are larvae of certain moth species. Identified by their light green to brown color and spots, sod webworms often thrive in warm conditions and create small web-lined tunnels. As sod webworms feed on grass stems and leaves, brown spots appear and gradually intersect. They typically target lawns with high nutritional potential.
Preventing sod webworms involves optimizing your lawn’s health. Certain enhanced grasses also contain additives that strengthen your lawn and increase resistance against sod webworms and other insects. Professional insecticide treatments are a routine preventative measure as well as an anti-infestation method.
Armyworms are another type of moth larvae and look similar to sod webworms, but they’re larger and more aggressive feeders. They often reside in warm areas and feed on turfgrass, but they sometimes travel and repopulate in northern areas via storm winds.
Because armyworms invade in large numbers and can quickly destroy your lawn, prevention is the best tactic against infestation. Take action with professional pest treatment as soon as you notice egg clusters, fecal pellets or brown-colored moths armyworms grow into.
Cutworms are also moth larvae, appearing brown or gray and easily blending into soil. They’re most active in the early spring because they’re attracted to seedlings and vulnerable roots. You may find them curled around a stem as they feed, most often at night.
Monitor your lawn for cutworms by checking on plants and damage in the morning. Look for cutworm droppings and holes in the soil near damaged plants. If you have a garden in your lawn, till it in the fall and spring planting to expose and kill larvae that burrow and hide over the winter. If you discover a cutworm infestation, specially formulated insect treatments can control populations.
Billbugs are small, weevil-like insects with hard shells colored brown to black and curved snouts. They’re attracted to unhealthy lawns or those with signs of poor maintenance, such as overgrowth and poor drainage. Targeting turfgrass, billbugs usually inflict the most damage from mid-June to late July, when heat and drought stress make your lawn especially vulnerable.
Damage from billbugs overlaps with other lawn pests and diseases, but you can identify billbugs by finding larvae tunnels and fine debris from hollowed-out plant stems. Grass damaged by adult billbugs usually breaks off at the soil line and likewise has sawdust-like debris.
In addition to proper lawn care, such as good mowing practices and regular dethatching, targeted insect control can get rid of billbug populations and minimize lawn damage. Small areas typically recover once the larvae are destroyed.
Crane flies, which are long-legged flying insects sometimes mistaken for mosquitoes, don’t damage lawns, but their larvae can. Crane fly larvae, otherwise known as leatherjackets, usually thrive in damp, overfertilized, or new grass, and they can emerge in large and damaging numbers following warm and wet autumns. Between 1.5 and 2 inches long, leatherjackets are gray/brown and resemble small worms, and their larval stage can last up to 2 years.
Leatherjackets feed on roots and cut into foliage, pulling pieces into the ground and sometimes leaving circular blank spots behind. They prefer long grass, so keeping your lawn tidy throughout the summer helps deter crane flies from laying eggs. Managing soil moisture and compaction is also an important part of preventing leatherjacket infestation. In case of infestation, beneficial nematodes or insecticidal treatments in the fall attack leatherjackets when they’re most vulnerable.
Ants don’t directly target your lawn’s grass, and they may even help your yard by controlling larvae populations. Certain species, however, may present some challenges.
Army ants are a destructive species. While small, some grow stingers and hooks and occasionally bite humans, leaving behind red and itchy marks. Moving in large and hungry groups, these ants swarm areas as they seek out various sources of food, including small live animals. They also consume grass and other lawn foliage, easily destroying large sections of your yard.
Field ants can create ant hills up to 4 feet across, leading to uneven terrain and bare patches throughout your lawn. Underground ant tunnels push soil away from grass roots, preventing them from hydrating and killing them. Compact and wet soil is difficult for ants to tunnel through, so they gravitate toward drought-impacted lawns with sparse grass coverage.
Not technically insects, ticks are parasitic arachnids. Ticks pose significant health risks to people and pets, leading to Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and other illnesses, depending on the type and location. Ticks vary in size, but they’re all relatively small and difficult to spot, ranging from the size of a seed to about 6 millimeters long. When they latch onto a host, they grow much larger as they feed.
Ticks prefer different environments depending on their species. Many prefer moist and shaded environments, such as heavy thatch, while others prefer rocky areas or tall grasses. Preventing ticks involves thorough lawn maintenance, such as:
To repel ticks, consider applying tick-specific insecticides. A professional can inspect your lawn to identify and treat problem areas.
Fleas are another type of parasite that can infest your lawn and home. Because fleas are small and dark, most people see signs of them before spotting an actual bug. They may cause itchy spots and rashes on people, but they’re most often found on dogs and cats, causing them to scratch themselves heavily, develop red and irritated areas or collect flea dirt.
Fleas are a year-round problem, but they thrive in hot and humid weather, tall grasses and shaded areas. Raccoons, deer, squirrels and other wildlife may also bring fleas to your yard.
Because eggs can remain dormant for months, treating for all life cycle stages is important. Try these flea-controlling strategies:
Whether good care practices or professional measures, you can keep your lawn healthy and infestation-free. Contact Lawn Doctor for expert lawn insect control solutions tailored to your home.
Contact Lawn Doctor to help care for your lawn when you can’t.
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