What’s Eating Your Lawn? The Spring Pests You Can’t Ignore

The grass in your lawn isn’t the only thing awakening as spring temperatures arrive. So too are the pests that like to feed on your grass blades, turning that dark rich green into dry brown. If you’re going to stop those pests from laying waste to your yard, you need to do something now. But to take action, you first need to identify what pests are lurking in your yard. 

What’s Eating Your Yard

Grubs

Grubs are larvae from the scarab beetle, (also known as the Japanese beetle). They're about 2 inches long with a C-shaped body and have a milky white color with a brown head and small legs near the head. They’ll curl into tighter balls when disturbed. When they awaken it in spring, grubs like to feed on grass roots that are an inch or two below the surface of the soil. 

Related: Early Weed Surge Is Hitting Lawns Hard—Fix It Fast

Signs you have them

• Loose turf: You can tell you have grub damage if there’s loose brown turf in your yard that you can pull up easily with your hand, indicating that the grubs have eaten away the roots. 
• Bird activity: Birds love to eat grubs, so if you see a lot of birds poking around in your yard, chances are they’re feeding on these pests. 
• Spongy grass: Grass that feels squishy or spongy under your foot is a sign of grubs. 
• Visual: If you suspect you have grubs, you can remove a small chunk out of your yard with a shovel then check in the soil to see if you can find any. 

How to Get rid of them

Grub control is typically applied in the early to mid summer when damage appears. If you suspect from previous years that you have grubs, you can make a spring application to kill off the grubs before they have a chance to snack on your lawn. Make a second application in the early summer to krill off any grubs that you missed with the first one. 

Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs are tiny insects that destroy grass by feeding on the sap that’s inside them. They are most common with warm season grasses, such as St. Augustine, Zoysia, and Bermuda grass. That said, certain types of chinch bugs will feast on cool season grasses, like Kentucky Bluegrass, ryegrass, and bentgrass. 

Related: Why You’re Seeing More Bugs Right Now—Blame This Winter’s Wild Weather

Signs you have them

• Damage: Chinch bug damage presents as irregular yellow or brown patches. The damage typically appears along sidewalks and driveways first then moves outward from there.  They love hot sunny conditions and typically devour lawns that are stressed from drought.
  
• Visual: Chinch bugs are small black insects with white wings that measure about a ¼ inch long. You’ll typically find them at the base of grass leaves, where they like to feed.
  
• The float test: Remove both ends of a one gallon can or container. Push one end of the container into the lawn where you’ve observed damage. Fill it with water then wait a few minutes. If you see chinch bugs floating to the surface, you know they are the culprit. 

How to Get rid of them

Treat your lawn with a pesticide that includes bifenthrin or imidacloprid, or pyrethrin, such as Amdro Quick Kill. Make two applications two weeks apart to kill existing chinch bugs and new hatchlings. You can also use neem oil if you’re looking for a more natural remedy. Chinch bugs love to nest in thatch, so dethatch your lawn to prevent them. 

Signs you have them

Army Worms

These highly destructured caterpillar stage larvae of the moth can devour turfgrass in a single night, destroying an entire lawn in just days. They’re 1 to 2 inches long and look like striped caterpillars with Y-shaped heads. 

• Rapid damage: The clearest sign of army worms is sudden overnight appearance of large brown, dead patches of grass. These patches typically have a more chewed pattern than a consistent shape. 
• Visual: Check the leaves of your grass. Army worms are large enough that they’re fairly easy to spot. 
• Bird activity: Birds love to feast on army worms, so look for increased bird activity in your lawn. 
• Eggs: Look for clumps of brown fuzzy eggs on the leaves of nearby plants and shrubs and on fences and other structures. 

How to Get rid of them

Use a liquid spray such as Spectracide Triazicide to kill off army worms. Time your attack for sunset when they’re most active. If you’re looking for a more natural option, go with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) or Spinosad. For best results, go with a two pronged approach. Apply granules to your lawn using a broadcast spreader, then follow up with a liquid pesticide that you apply with a hose end sprayer. Since army worms can devastate a lawn, it’s important to be thorough by making both applications. 

How to Prevent Pests In Your Lawn

The best way to deal with these pests is to keep them from establishing a home in your yard by maintaining a healthy lawn. Mow your lawn to the proper height, avoid overwatering, and make sure to fertilize in the spring, summer, and fall.