Does your lawn have dead patches despite all the care you provide it? You may have insects calling your lawn, “home.” In this blog, we’ll talk about lawn-damaging insects and the signs you may have them.
Insects That Damage Your Lawn
Billbugs
Billbugs have become more of a problem in recent years for Floridians with the most damage occurring during the spring and fall seasons. Billbugs lay their eggs in lawns during spring. Then when their grubs hatch, they’ll feed on your grass, hollowing out the stems. They might also eat the grass roots. It is often difficult for a homeowner to determine whether or not they have a billbug problem. Grubs are extremely small and live deep in the thatch layer of your lawn.
Southern Chinch Bug
These tiny pests live in the thatch layer of your lawn. Chinch Bugs feed in groups and will suck fluids from your grass’ stolons, stems, and crowns creating widespread damage to your lawn. People in Florida often see damage from Chinch Bugs anywhere from March to November.
Fall Armyworms and Cutworms
These pests are big caterpillars that love to feed on blades of grass. They are not typically a big problem unless you have a high population of them. This is because they feed at the same location at the same time. These pests are most common during the spring, summer, and fall. You’ll be able to determine if you have these insects if you have dead, circular spots of grass or depressed spots on your lawn.
Tropical Sod Webworm
When larvae, these pests will come out at night and feed on your lawn. While these pests are highly destructive during the warm, summer months, their damage is often not noticed until winter, when the grass is dormant.
White Grubs
White Grubs are the larvae of scarab beetles. These pests lay their eggs in the spring and when they hatch, the larvae feed on grass roots through the rest of fall. Their feeding cuts off the ability for your grass to soak up water from the soil, so it eventually dies. You’ll be able to determine if you have these insects if your lawn has brown patches or pulls up easily like a rug.
Other common insects in Florida lawns include Fire Ants, Grasshoppers, Ground Pearls, Mole Crickets, and Spittlebugs.
Hire a Professional for Lawn Pests Control
You work hard to keep your lawn lush and green, don’t let a small insect ruin all that hard work. Your first instinct may be to apply a pesticide on your lawn, but that will just kill it. So if you have an insect infestation on your property, you may want to contact a professional landscaping company. They have contractors who are knowledgable about all things “lawn care.” They’ll be able to identify which type of insect problem you have and properly take care of it without ruining your grass.
