Curious Mind: Stopping Hungry Sod Worms

I heard that sod worms are especially bad this year destroying a lot of lawns. Is there a reason its worse this year? And what can be done to get rid of them?

The mild winter, wet spring and warm weather have been prime for many different species of turf insects, said Tony McCammon, area horticulture educator for the University of Idaho extension office. This year, I have seen some of the worst outbreaks in my tenure with the University of Idaho; insects such as of bluegrass billbug, armyworms and sod webworms. Many lawns in the Magic Valley are completely ruined and need to be

replaced.

Idaho ranks first nationally and accounts for 50 percent of U.S. Kentucky bluegrass seed production, reports the UI College of Agricultural and Life

Sciences.

Sod webworms, commonly called lawn moths, are a serious pest. Larvae feed on and particularly damage bluegrass. They feed at night, chewing off leaves and stems just above grass crowns and reside in silken burrows during the day. Adults are typically inactive during the day and fly at night, scattering their eggs into the grass. Eggs hatch in about one week; the first generation larvae feed until midsummer. A second generation occurs during the remainder of summer. Generations may overlap with all stages present by late summer. Damage to lawn is most obvious in spring and fall.

Insects are easy to control chemically, if pesticides are applied in the proper part of their developmental stages. When the damage is found, its already too late. Insectides wont work. Effective monitoring is key to control.

Many of the local nursery and landscape companies offer control options to protect your lawns from pests, McCammon said. For 7-in-10 years, winters are harsh enough to kill most overwintering larvae and adults. So the populations leave little damage, and control measures might not be needed. These insects have many natural enemies include other insects, bacteria and fungi that target them specifically.

Sod webworm moths are easy to identify with their pointy snouts. They are also seen at dusk flying in a zigzag pattern across the top of your lawn. They lay their eggs in late spring and just as the temperatures increase. This causes your lawn to immediately show the signs of stress, and in lawns with high populations of webworms, the lawn can die in large patches, said McCammon.

Larval damage is observed as brown patches up to the size of a baseball. Webworm larvae can feed in an area of 4 to 6 square feet. Brown patches can be punctured with pencil-sized holes as a result of birds searching for the burrows. Another good indicator of fresh webworm larval feeding is the presence of moist, green fecal pellets in the lawn.

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Curious Mind: Stopping Hungry Sod Worms