Chinch bugs are small sucking insects about 1/8 inch long that drink the juices inside the grass Mostly in St. Augustine grass. Chinch bugs will leave areas of the lawn injured. To see if chinch bugs are a problem, remove the bottom portion of a coffee can; place at the edge of the damage; and fill with soapy water. If many of these small, black insects rise to the top then you have a problem. To control Chinch bugs, the following Southern Ag products may be used:
- LawnStar Bifenthrin Granular Insecticide (1.15 to 4.6 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Granules (2 to 3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Concentrate (1/2 to 1.2 oz. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Grubs are some of the most destructive insect pests in lawns. Turf is damaged when the grubs (the larval or immature stages of certain beetles) chew off the grass roots just below the soil surface. The root injury reduces the turf’s ability to take up water and nutrients and withstand the stress of hot, dry weather. To control grubs, the following Southern Ag product may be used:
- GrubsAway (1.4lbs. to 1.8lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Mole Crickets are burrowing insects about one inch long. They eat the tender roots of turfgrass and make visible trails, mostly in Bahia grass and Bermuda grass. Mole Crickets also are food for such rodents as moles. To control mole crickets, the following Southern Ag product may be used:
- Mole Cricket Bait with 5% Carbaryl (0.9 lbs./ 1000 square feet)
Sod web worms and Army worms are caterpillars about 1-2 inches long. These caterpillars feed on the blades of grass. The blades of grass will have notches in them if worms are feeding. The adult of these worms is a moth. Mostly in St. Augustine and Bermuda grass. If the lawn appears injured from notches eaten from the grass, the turf should be treated. To control mole crickets, the following Southern Ag products may be used:
- LawnStar Bifenthrin Granular Insecticide (1.15 to 4.6 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Mole Cricket Bait with 5% Carbaryl (0.9 lbs./ 1000 square feet)
- Naturalyte Conserve Insect Control (2 ozs. / gallon)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Concentrate (1/2 to 1.2 oz. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Granules (2 to 3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
Spiders, Ants, Fleas, and Ticks don’t harm your grass but they do live there and they can harm you and your pets. To control these, the following Southern Ag products may be used:
- LawnStar Bifenthrin Granular Insecticide (1.15 to 4.6 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Granules (2 to 3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft.)
- Permetrol Lawn Insecticide Conc. (1/2 to 1.2 oz. per 1,000 sq. ft.
ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/Ornamentals_and_Turf/lawn/note112/note112.html
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/entfactpdf/ent10.pdf
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C918
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/ORN/TURF/Tropical_sod_webworm.htm
http://www.gardenguides.com/130974-lawn-treatment-fleas-fire-ants.html
