Is your lawn looking patchy with a lot of dead areas? There are several reasons as to why lawns may become patchy or begin dying off. It could be due to poor watering, a need for fertilization, or pests. Most lawn pests are active during the spring through fall season and go in hibernation during the winter. However, each lawn pest has their active season and a time when they will begin to do the most damage. Today A Five Star Termite & Pest Control will tell you about some of the pests that affect lawns and the signs of their presence.

Grubs & Japanese Beetles

White grubs are Japanese beetle larva that lives underground feeding on roots and plant matter during fall and through the spring. When white grubs gather, it will appear your lawn is suffering from drought stress. However if the lawn has been receiving a proper water schedule it’s pretty clear that the lawn has a pest. Grubs are white or cream colored and reassemble a caterpillar. The grubs will feed on any roots or plant matter it can reach, and come late spring or early summer they will fully develop and the Japanese beetle will emerge. They too will feed on plants and even trees until they mate and then die.

Sob Webworms

There are various species of sob webworms. The one found most often assaulting Texas lawns is the bluegrass sob webworm. Sob webworms grow up to one inch in length and are typically tan in color with darker spots. The larva will begin feeding on turf in late fall and early spring. The sob webworm will hibernate during the winter season. Due to the cold they normally dig deep under the soil. Once the spring and summer season hits, the sob webworm will emerge to the upper surface of the soil. Signs that a lawn is under attack by the sob webworm is small brown patches throughout the lawn. Not only is the sob webworm feeding on the grass, but it will also create elaborate tunneling systems near the areas it is feeding. This is what makes the lawn seem patchy.

Cutworms

Cutworms are a very destructive pest when it comes to lawns, especially large turf areas such as golf courses. Cutworms are most active from late May and throughout the summer season. Most visible damage can be seen in the hottest seasons where large dead patches of turf exist. Cutworms mostly prefer Kentucky bluegrass and bentgrass. However they can be found feeding on other species of grass as well. The cutworm is multicolored with vertical stripes in typically green and brown hues.

Chinch Bugs

Damage of the chinch bug will first appear as yellowing grass and then death of the grass will follow. There will be patches of this yellowing grass throughout the lawn. When chinch bugs feed on the grass they actually block the conduction of the water to feed the grass. This causes a withering affect on the turf. The chinch bug is most active during the hotter seasons. Chinch bugs are a winged pest that is very small–only reaching to an inch in length. However they are very distinct in appearance. The have black bodies with white wings. Each of the wings has a black triangular shape marking on it.

Pest Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal, Management & More in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas

A Five Star Termite & Pest Control can help struggling lawns when they are invaded by these destructive lawn pests. If your lawn has been fresh fertilized and is on a proper watering schedule yet your lawn still has dead or dying patches, it’s most likely due to the lawn pests. Contact A Five Star Termite & Pest Control today to rid your lawn of these pests.