Identifying Lawn Bugs
What bugs are killing my lawn?
You’ve tried everything to treat your yard for weeds and disease but still have dead spots. It’s clear your grass is dying, but why? You might have lawn-damaging grass insects.
The first step in treating lawn bugs is identifying them. Are they grubs? Cutworms? Chinch bugs? Many customers ask: how do I get rid of grass bugs? At Grass Master, we always start by identifying the insect, so we can choose the right treatment to restore your lawn.
We developed the lawn bug identification guide below to help you consider what insects might be harming your grass.
An Identification Guide to Ohio Lawn Bugs
What bugs can be found in your grass? Let’s look at some of the most common lawn invaders.
In Ohio, a variety of beetles (May beetles, June beetles and Japanese beetles) give birth to white grubs, which appear in your lawn in the cooler season. To spot lawn insect damage by grubs, look for large, irregular dead patches. The continuous feeding of the grubs as well as the mammals that feed on the grubs causes the dead grass.
Learn more about grubs and how they can ruin your beautiful lawn.
In Ohio, the most common and damaging sod webworms are bluegrass sod webworms. In late fall and early spring, when turf is actively growing, sod webworm larva leave their underground tunnels to feed on your grass. You’ll see lawn insect damage from sod webworms in small brown patches. These patches eventually run together by mid-summer to create large, irregular patches of thin, brown grass.
Read more about sod webworms and the damage they can do to your lawn.
From late May through the rest of the growing season, these destructive lawn insects can damage golf courses and other maintained turf areas in Ohio. If you see small, round dead spots on your turf throughout the hotter days of summer, the grass insects you’re dealing with may be cutworms.
Learn more about how cutworms can ruin your turf grass.
From June and into September, chinch bugs can block water and nutrients as they feed on your turf. Does your lawn have irregular patches that were yellow, now straw-colored? These dead patches may be due to lawn-damaging chinch bugs.
Learn more about chinch bugs.
When the drought stress of summer is upon us, billbug-infected turf is more prominent. Damage on your turf grass can range from small dead spots and browning to white or straw-colored grass. If your turf is solid and has hollowed stems or sawdust-like packing, you may have a case of billbugs.
Learn more about the damage billbugs can do to your lawn.
Lawn care companies all over Northeast Ohio are receiving calls and emails about Armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda, family Noctuidae) causing substantial injury to lawns. While not typically found in this area, these lawn bugs have taken their toll on Northeast Ohio lawns, thanks to recent weather conditions.
To identify if this insect is inflicting damage to your lawn, read our full information regarding armyworms.
How do I get rid of bugs in my lawn?
Do you have lawn insect damage? The experts at Grass Master can help you identify and treat lawn bugs, so your grass can be full, green and healthy again. We also offer special programs such as our flea and tick program, grub control and Home Foundation Insect Shield. For more information on what Grass Master can do for you, contact us.
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