Lawn Pests
St. Augustine Lawns
Lawn pests that are common in St. Augustine lawns are chinch bugs, white grubs, sod webworms, and mole crickets. Lawn treatment is needed to control and eliminate lawn insect pests. Identifying turf pests and damage is the first step for good lawn control of any insect infestation.
Lawn Pests Chinch Bugs
The most damaging are chinch bugs causing yellowish to brownish patches in the beginning and eventually leading to dead areas in the turf. This is a foliar- feeding insect that sucks plant juices from the roots causing damage by killing St. Augustine grass. They will spread and can eventually become a major infestation if Identifying Chinch Bug, Damage, And Treatment is not done as soon as possible. Repeat insecticidal applications is often needed to eliminate this type of lawn pests. High levels of nitrogen encourages them to invade St. Augustine lawns.
Turf Pests White Grubs
Grubs feed on the roots of St. Augustine lawns causing turf to gradually thin, turn yellow, wilt, and then die off. Irregular scattered brown patches appear and will get larger over time. Grass that is heavily infested will roll back like a carpet because the root system is gone. You can pull the turf up with your hands as it turns into hay.
White grubs are creamy white c- shaped beetles with brownish heads and have hairs on the tips of their abdomen. Mature grubs are 1/4 – 2 inches in length. If grubs are present they are found in the upper 4 – 6 inches of soil and the turf roots will look pruned. Check several places in the area to locate them in the soil.
Treat the entire area and outside along the patch with granular insecticide made for grub control. It usually comes in a bait form, which is the most effective for total elimination.
Grass Pests Sod Webworms
Lawn pests sod webworms Do Not kill St. Augustine grass but they ruin it’s appearance. They come out at night from the soil and eat the blades of grass leaving chew marks. It is very noticeable and can be seen from a distance. Sod webworms like shaded areas and hot humid weather , so are very active during the summer. They tend to stay in the same area. The more they become an infestation the larger the area will become.
One of the first signs of sod webworms is white moths that swarm together during the day. If you walk through the lawn area affected they will rise and fly around together.The moth is what lay the eggs in the soil that turn into sod webworms. Once eggs hatch and worms grow they begin chewing.
Spraying the area with insecticide will not stop the moths by killing them. They will simply fly away and come back when it dries. The soil needs to be treated by liquid soaking or granular, applications of insecticide for elimination of sod webworms. A regular treatment of insecticide can help in controlling them, but is no guarantee. When the grass grows new blades and no chew marks are seen, you will know that they are gone.
Lawn Pests Mole Crickets
The Tawny, Southern, and Short Winged, mole crickets are lawn pests found in St. Augustine grass. Adults are about one and a half inches long, light brown, with enlarged forelegs that they use to dig in the soil. Nymphs look like adults but their wings are not completely developed. Short Winged mole cricket adults have the shortest wings and cannot fly.
When mole crickets are active tunnels will be seen in the soil. Tunneling dislodges the turf and causes it to dry out. Small mounds of soil being pushed up can be seen in turf areas. Tunnels are most visible in the morning hours when dew is on the grass and soil is moist. Adult Tawny and Southern, mole crickets are seen at night near lights.
All types can be seen walking on sidewalks and driveways. Nymphs and Adult mole cricket lawn pests feed on St. Augustine grass roots and blades at night during warm weather. Especially after rain occurs and after lawn irrigation is done. Both tunneling and root feeding create patches of bare soil.
Mole Crickets are eaten by predators such as birds, armadillos, raccoon’s, but they damage the grass when searching for them and will not get all of them. Lawn treatment from pesticides is needed when tunneling and feeding is occurring. Treat with liquid or granular insecticide labeled for lawn pests mole crickets. Mole Cricket Bait is the best for larger nymphs and adults. Baits should be applied in the late afternoon or early evening. Scatter bait evenly over the soil surface. Do Not apply if rain is expected and Do Not irrigate, after treatment of bait is done.
Lawn pests that cause problems in St.Augustine grass can be troubling if left untreated. Identifying what type of lawn insect pests are causing the damage, is important for how and what should be done. St. Augustine lawns will bounce back and remain healthy with proper lawn control.
Kurt Kmetz
Chinch Bug, Insect Control
Chinch Bug Control, Damage And Treatment
The chinch bug is the number one pest of St. Augustine Grass. It will do the most damage to your lawn in a short period of time. Without chinch bug, insect control they will damage large areas as they multiply. The chinch bug is found in St. Augustine grass from southern North Carolina south to the Florida Keys, and westward to central Texas. Chinch bug damage has been found in southern California, Mexico, and Hawaii. In Florida they begin to appear in May and continue throughout the summer.
A chinch bug will suck the sap out of the roots and the stems of the grass. At first areas with chinch bug damage will begin to turn yellow in color as irregular patches, then turn reddish brown. Blades start to curl up looking grayish and dead, roots die off as they continue sucking out the juices. Chinch bugs work there way through the healthy turf. The chinch bug loves to live in dry sunny areas that have heat or drought stress. They are found in the middle of a lawn or near and along driveways and side walks working outward. As soon as there is chinch bug damage immediate insect control is needed. Chinch bugs treatment will stop them from spreading.
Description And Development Of The Chinch Bug
Chinch bugs lay their eggs and hatch in as little as one week during the summer. First they appear as bright orange in the Nymph stage, turning dark red as they begin to mature. When fully matured reaching the adult stage they are one – fifth of an inch in length, black with white wings on their back. During this stage with no chinch bug, insect control they will do the most damage, and can fly to other locations in the lawn.
Monitoring For Chinch Bug, Insect Control, Damage
I recommend to inspect your lawn at least once a week during the summer months. Early detection and chinch bug, insect control can stop a major infestation from occurring and keeping them under control. Walk sunny areas throughout your yard especially along the edges of pavement where they can begin to do damage. If you notice any signs of a problem get close to the ground and seperate the blades of grass with your hands looking around and under the roots. When exposed to the sun a chinch bug will run to get out of it and you can see them. In heavy infestations they can be seen crawling over the blades. If you don’t find any chinch bugs it could be a sign of lack of water. I recommend treating extreme dry areas that have become noticeable with chinch bug, insect control. Dry areas is where they tend to lay their eggs.
Chinch Bug Elimination
The best way to get rid of them is to treat with liquid TALSTAR insecticide, soaking the area in and around it. Granular does work but needs to be thoroughly watered in right away. Blanket treating your lawn is helpful for chinch bug, insect control but there is no guarantee they will not pop up. By monitoring your lawn on a regular basis and knowing how to identify the problem is the best method for control. Following proper lawn maintenance like watering, mowing,and fertilization can reduce the chances of the chinch bug in St. Augustine grass.
As you can see at the first sign of damage, chinch bug, insect control is needed. Controlling chinch bugs will stop them from eating up your St. Augustine grass. Knowing how to identify the chinch bug and damage, is the first step in stopping an infestation.
Kurt Kmetz
