Pest Damage to Your Lawn
Many insects are beneficial to the turf manager in that they aid in the decomposition of organic matter, improve soil structure and soil aeration and some are predators of harmful organisms. Nonetheless, many insects present problems for the turf manager.
The southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, is an insect pest of St. Augustinegrass, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze, a turf and pasture grass grown throughout the southern United States. This tiny pest, rarely measuring over 6 mm in length, causes millions of dollars in damage per year, as homeowners seek to control chinch bug outbreaks by applying insecticides and replacing damaged grass. For this reason, much research has focused on the development of a more economic and effective mode of control, although pesticide application remains the most popular method today.
Damage Symptoms of Common Turfgrass Pest Problems and Possible Causes
Symptoms/Possible Causal Agent(s)
A. Disruption of soil:
1. Hills, piles or structures of loose dirt on turf ant
a. Mounds up to 18 inches tall with no visible entrance(s) on mound with ants emerging in mass when disturbed red imported fire ant
b. Small mounds with rims around single central entrance holes and presence of small (3/16 in.) grayish-black ants pyramid ants
c. Many hills of course soil with central exit holes and presence of large (3/8 in.) red-brown ant with spines on the thorax Texas leafcutting ant
d. Flat cleared areas up to 3 ft. in diameter made of course soil particles with a single central exit hole and with the presence of large (3/8 in.) reddish-brown ants with square heads and no spines red harvester ant
2. Trails of raised, loose dirt through turf roughly ° inch wide in an "S" shaped pattern mole cricket
3. Small piles of dirt "pellets" (1/8 in.) scattered through thatch earth worms
4. Earthen "chimneys" with central holes (about ° in. diameter) crawfish
5. Small piles of loose dirt which are associated with exit holes green June beetle larvae
6. Round holes (up to ° in. diameter) in soil digger wasp nests or cicada exit holes
B. Direct damage to grass causing yellowing or plant death:
1. Grass blades chewed or missing caterpillars
a. Presence of gray-brown caterpillars up to 1 in. long with an inverted cream-colored "Y" on the fronts of the head capsules armyworms
b. Presence of gray-brown caterpillars up to 1 in. long that curl into a tight "C" position when disturbed cutworms
c. Presence of translucent greenish caterpillars up to in. long with black raised spots on each body segment tropical sod webworm
2. Yellow or dead grass:
a. Roots missing and presence of cream-colored "C" shaped grubs with three legs on body segments behind brown head capsule white grubs
b. No tissue removed, with presence of pinkish-orange, white and black nymph and adult stages of bugs up to 3/16 in. long chinch bugs
c. No tissue removed, but with "galls" or globular object (scales) in the rootzone Rhodegrass scale or ground pearls
d. No tissue removed, but with shortened internodes producing a typical bermudagrass (stunt) mites or rosetting and tufted growth, " or "witch broom" effect; grass may be very yellow or whitsh in appearance with no insects visible to the naked eye buffalograss (stunt) mites
If you have a problem with your lawn, let A1 Super Heroes inspect and treat immediately to avoid costly damage - Call (954) 255-2233 to speak with one of our professionals.
To view more information on this topic, please visit http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Plantanswers/turf/publications/insect.html
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