Common lawn insects that harm lawns and how to keep them out of your grass

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Besides weeds, lawn insects also wreak havoc on your grass. When left untreated, the damage can spread to plants and grass.There are two kinds of pests based on their location. These are the soil inhabitants and thatch inhabitants.

The best approach to address them is by gaining knowledge on pest biology. The damage done by soil inhabitants is shown as wilted, dead or dying grass.

Thatch inhabitant pests may also incur similar damages to your turf besides the appearance of yellowish turf and dead spots.

Soil inhabiting lawn insects include white grubs, billbugs and mole crickets. Thatch inhabiting insects include sod webworms, armyworms, cutworms, chinch bugs and spittlebugs.

White Grubs—white grubs are plump and C-shaped insects with three pairs of legs. Except in the near rear, the insects are whitish and have a distinct brown head.

When they mature, they are called beetles with monikers such as Japanese Beetles, May beetles, or June beetles.

An adult female beetle lays her eggs on the soil. The grubs hatch and dwell on the soil feeding on underground plant parts such as roots, leaving the upper part of the plant to wither and die.

The best time to inspect for grubs is Fall or early Spring. Insecticides are the best treatment to get rid of such pests.Billbugs—when they mature, billbugs are weevils between 1/5 to ¾ inches long.

The white billbugs are white and legless, while the adults are reddish-brown to black. The adult weevils feed above the ground and lay their eggs in the stems of the grasses.

The hatching larvae feed on the stems, and the larger larvae feed on the crown. The mature larvae feed on the roots of the turf or grass particularly Zoysiagrass and Bermuda grass. In most cases, the feeding is done in many grasses.

According to pest control professionals, Acephate is an effective insecticide to kill the billbugs and other harmful lawn insects.

Mole Crickets—with a spade-like feet and large eyes, mole crickets can grow to almost two inches long. They have short and stout forelegs. The young crickets are similar to the adults with the exception of wings and sexually immaturity.

An adult cricket lays her eggs in underground cells during Spring. Between two and four weeks, the egg hatch and start to feed.

In the summer, they grow. In the fall, they mature into adults. During winter, they spend the time deep underground but come to the surface to feed.

At night in spring, they fly in flock to look for mates and egg-laying ground. When they feed, they damage not just the grass, but the soil’s surface as well.

The pesticide that can effectively kill the mole crickets is that which contains Bifenthrin.

Web worms—sod web worms or moth start their damage within 14 days after their appearance is observed in your lawn.

It is the time when their eggs begin to hatch into caterpillars which chew off the grass blades close to the soil surface.

The heaviest damage is done in August, although the damage can also be severe in June. To get rid your lawn of webworms, insecticides should be applied to the surface of the areas, particularly the ones that are damaged. Chemical insecticide specific for webworm or anti-bacterial insecticides can get rid of the webworms.

Armyworms—they are the larval form of moths, and they feed on turf grasses chewing them down to the ground. They are a major pest to southern lawns.

Bacillus thuringiensis is an organic control for armyworms and caterpillars. Spray the insecticide in dormant season.

Cutworms —cutworms are dull brown, gray or black caterpillars. Some are spotted while others are striped, and they hide in the soil during the day and feed at night on the leaves. They may also cut off the grass near the soil.

To get rid of them, you can encourage birds to come to your lawn by installing birdbaths. You may also apply beneficial nematodes in the spring, or place bran with Bacillus thuringiensis over the surface of new planting beds.

Chinchbugs—surface-feeding lawn insects, they can damage St. Augustine grass, Zoysia, Bermuda and Centipede. They mate when the temperature reaches 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and the females lay eggs on roots, stems, leaves and leaf sheaths.

Besides mowing, you may apply coat of granule on your yard. Spread the granule all over your yard to kill off the chinchbugs.Spittle bugs—these lawn insects feed on Bermuda grass, St. Augustine grass, Centipede and other plants.

Thatch control is very essential in preventing the spittle bugs, which dwell on the spittle and suck the juices from the plants.To get rid of them, proper dethatching and fertilization practices can disturb the humid conditions necessary for spittle-bug development.

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