To keep your grass in excellent health year-round, you need to watch out for various lawn insects that can infest and wreak havoc on your lawn. Four lawn insects that commonly invade lawns here in Plano, TX, are grubs, chinch bugs, bermudagrass mites, and armyworms. Grubs are beetle larvae that feed on the roots of grass and can leave your lawn feeling spongy. Chinch bugs are black-bodied pests that suck sap from the grass blades and inject a toxin that inhibits water movement. Bermudagrass mites are tiny worm-like pests that also suck essential fluids from your lawn and inject their toxic saliva into the grass blades. Finally, armyworms are striped worms that feed on blades of grass as they march through your lawn.

1. Grubs

Is your lawn feeling a little spongy when you try to walk on it? If so, it might be infested by grubs. Grubs are the larvae of some beetles and can be identified by their C-shaped, white bodies. This lawn pest commonly affects lawns in Plano, TX, when the weather gets warm. Grub eggs in the soil start to hatch around June to early July. Once they hatch, they feed on the roots of your grass and can leave your lawn unattached to the soil.

Grub damage can appear as brown, patchy spots on your lawn. Your lawn will also feel loose and spongy when walking on it because it is no longer anchored to the soil. The discoloration is also the result of the affected areas being unable to absorb the nutrients and resources your grass needs to stay healthy and green. Grub-infested lawns also lift up easily like a carpet!

An increased presence of animals like birds and raccoons is a tell-tale sign of a grub infestation, as these animals feed on grubs lurking in your soil.

2. Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs are lawn pests that love dry environments, so it is no surprise that they are a common sight on lawns in Plano, TX. These pests emerge in the spring after overwintering as adults in your grass and in the thatch layer.

They have a big appetite for grass. Chinch bugs will literally suck the life out of your lawn by piercing the grass blades and extracting sap from them, then injecting a toxin that inhibits water movement within your turf. The damage results in irregularly shaped patches of discolored grass that resemble drought stress.

3. Bermudagrass Mites

One of the most notorious pests that commonly invade lawns in Plano, TX, are bermudagrass mites. This pest is extremely tiny and can barely be seen even with a hand lens. They look like worms and produce eggs that take only about 7 to 10 days to complete their entire life cycle. Bermudagrass mites are problematic because they suck essential fluids from your lawn and inject their toxic saliva into the blades of grass.

4. Arymworms

Armyworms are small lawn insects measuring about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. Their bodies have green, yellow, red, or brown stripes along their sides and back with an inverted Y marking on their heads. This lawn pest is most active in Plano, TX, during the late summer when it starts to actively feed on your grass. The problem lies in their eating habit. Armyworms move in groups or "armies," going through your lawn and munching grass blades in large numbers, allowing them to cause extensive damage in a short amount of time. Affected lawns have grass blades that look ragged on the margins as a result of the armyworms chewing on them.

Call us today to sign up for our lawn insect control service!

Here at CitiTurf, we can help ensure your lawn has an optimal defense against various lawn insects to keep it in prime health. Our team offers a lawn insect control service that involves applying treatments that are effective at controlling chinch bugs, armyworms, grubs, and bermudagrass mites. We offer this service to residential properties in Plano, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, TX, and nearby areas. Give us a call today at 972-516-0001 to sign up for our lawn insect control service!