Most homeowners dream of having a perfect lawn, yet that dream is rarely a reality considering the various aspects that affect the health of turf grass. Lawn maintenance depends on proper watering, fertilizing, and proper mowing. However, a significant hit to your lawn’s health is its damage from a pest infestation.
Lawn pests come in a wide variety and seem to be a relentless enemy of turf grass. For example, your lawn could become lunch for Mole Crickets, or Armyworms could attack it. Your best defense against destructive lawn pests is to understand a little bit about the types of pests in your region and have excellent lawn service on your speed dial. Let’s look at some of the most common turf grass pests that could be wreaking havoc on your dreams of a perfect lawn.
Mole Cricket
The Mole Cricket is a common lawn pest that causes problems for many homeowners. Mole Crickets are brown and elongated insects with shiny heads and wings. This cricket’s most stand-out feature is its prominent front legs with jagged claws used for digging. These powerful hind legs are great earth movers, loosening soil and disrupting the grassroots. Mole Crickets lay their eggs in early November and the warm months. You will see Mole Crickets on your lawn from mid-spring until the end of summer.
Army Worms
Army Worms are caterpillar grubs that love to live on lawns. Varying in color from green to brown to black, Army Worms can grow to a maximum length of 40mm and are known to become plum when they mature and feed. Moths lay up to 500 eggs in a single laying, then repeat the same process the next night, creating large amounts of grubs that quickly devastate vast grass areas. In summer and autumn, you will see Army Worms in plague proportions, leaving tale signs of brown patches all over your grass.
African Black Beetle
The African Black Beetle is a scarab soil-dwelling pest characterized by its shiny jet-black body. With serrated front legs, the African Black Beetle looks similar to a cockchafer. The larvae of the African Black Beetle are soft-bodied grubs that are white to creamy-white. Just one African Black Beetle can lay up to 80 eggs that hatch in 2 to 5 weeks, primarily in the spring and summer months.
Professional Lawn Care Services
Lawn pests may destroy your dream of having a perfect lawn. Knowing what to look for and having a professional lawn care service on your team will help keep your grass healthy, lush, and free from pests.
