Sod Webworms Are Back In Town

Maybe your first sighting of a sod webworm invasion is moths flitting about through your landscape. What are they doing and are they affecting the grass, shrubs or even your cloths? These brown dingy moths could give the cat something to chase and may set a few new residents in a bit of a tizzy but for most gardeners they are a well-known start of the summer lawn pest season. By the way, they do not affect shrubs or clothing.

Actually the arrival of sod webworm moths appears early this year. They are more likely Fourth of July arrivals but they are already here. You might blame it on the warm winter. Maybe they did not die back to South Florida as they normally do or maybe they just over wintered here.

First signs of these insects are the moth stages that move about in the yard in the late afternoon. They can be numerous and are about impossible to catch without a butterfly net. They flit about laying eggs that could produce the grass feeding larvae we call webworms. I say they could, because many eggs and young larvae are consumed by natural controls of bugs and spiders living in your lawn. So, you may never see the webworms or their damage.

Only when you notice the grass starting to disappear might you become a bit concerned sod webworms are at work. Now here is some good news. They like to feed in crabgrass the most. Just think they might only eat the crabgrass and leave the St. Augustine alone. Well that is wishful thinking.

If you do have sod webworms feeding, dont get too nervous. The voracious larvae seldom kill an otherwise healthy lawn. Still, most gardeners do not like to see their grass chewed down to nubbins. If you have sod webworms feeding, some natural controls are available as Dipel or spinosad containing insecticides found at local garden centers. Where needed many other good insecticides are ready to use too. Just follow the label for the product you choose. One treatment should be all you need.

Sod webworms are easy to control. There is no reason to let them mow down your lawn.

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Sod Webworms Are Back In Town