Lawns are the most prominent exterior accessory of a home but not everyone is able to take good care of them. There are many destructive factors of grassy areas, whether realized or not, and negligence in anticipating them can lead to damage. One of them is insect infestation. Unfortunately, many people do not realize that insects are capable of destroying grassy areas.
Insects love grass and without them knowing (or you knowing), damage the grass. If you have a beautiful piece of grassy land, you don’t want too many insects on it, unless you are an entomologist of course!
Knowing the types of insects that are harmful to lawns and their behavior can prevent your headache. Curious and impatient? Keep reading!
Basically, lawn-destroying insects can be divided into two major groups and this division is based on where they feed on the grass. The first group feeds on the surface of the grass and the second feeds on the roots of the grass. The first group is easy to detect and you will have to fight hard to find the second group.
Here are some of the popular grass-destroying insects:
– Chinch bugs: These bugs are one of the classic reasons why your lawn areas sometimes look dry and yellowish in color. They are tough eaters of grass surfaces. They are small but very strong. When it comes to summer, you need to be on the lookout for chinch bug colony infestations. Misanticipation early on can turn into a wide-ranging disaster.
– Sod Webworms
This is a kind of moth that is small and wheat-brown in color. They usually fly in a zigzag pattern. They are harmless as adults but when they are in the larval stage. Sod Webworms larvae like to come out at night to feed on your grass. If you get rid of adult Sod Webworms, you can prevent new larvae from emerging. They are active in summer, so as summer approaches, you should hunt for adult Sod Webworms.
Army caterpillars
These are large caterpillars that eat grass brutally. In small populations, they are not too dangerous, but in large populations, they are like a destructive horde that leaves no grass behind. Army caterpillars are feared because they are not selective in their foraging. They love almost any vegetation, especially young ones. They are destroyers of grass stems and the initial damage caused by their invasion often goes unnoticed.
Stem-boring beetles
These are ferocious beetles that spend the winter hiding on grass edges and in the spring lay their eggs. It is the larvae that are dangerous as they are voracious eaters of grass. Young grass shoots are easy targets.
These insects are just a few of the insects that are harmful to your lawn. Insect prevention is a must especially when it comes to spring and more so summer. Neglecting to prevent lawn-eating insects is the biggest mistake of any garden owner. So can insects damage your lawn? Of course! Hope this article was useful and thanks for reading!
