Common Lawn Pests in Florida
For all of the careful maintenance and attention that you devote to your sod, you can’t always prevent lawn pests and bugs from infiltrating your yard.
But that doesn’t mean you have to surrender to them, either. By familiarizing yourself with common lawn pests in Florida and the best treatment options available, you can take back power over your yard and enjoy your view without any damaging bugs insight.
Fall Armyworms
The fall armyworm thrives in warm and tropical regions like Florida. Since this pest is a strong flier, it can easily disperse long distances over the summer.
We know of at least 80 host plants that the fall armyworm prefers to use for its home, but be careful if you have Bermudagrass sod. This pest prefers grasses more than anything, especially Bermudagrass.
Larvae are known to cause damage by eating foliage and leaving distinct holes. Just like with chinch bugs, a professional pest control service is the best way to keep fall armyworms from destroying your beautiful sod.
The Chinch Bug
Is your grass turning yellow or reddish-brown? If so, it could be under attack by chinch bugs. Chinch bugs only measure about ⅕” long with black bodies and white wings across their backs. These incredibly tiny bugs are difficult to spot, but the damage they cause is obvious.
Chinch bugs cause so much damage because they view your lawn as their dinner. Even if you cut, water, and fertilize your sod exactly as you should, chinch bugs can still cause trouble.
When chinch bugs attack, they suck your grass blades dry and inject a poison that kills the blades. This tends to cause damage in patches that end up looking like they are suffering from drought. A professional pest control service is the best way to stop chinch bugs in their tracks.
Mole Crickets
The mole cricket is another serious pest in Florida, especially in Bahia sod. Mole crickets love to tunnel through roots and eat the shoots of the grass. Unfortunately, their tunneling habits end up dislodging plants and causing them to dry out. Special nematodes are available to infect and kill mole crickets.
You work hard to keep your sod looking beautiful, green, and healthy, so you don’t want to give lawn pests the opportunity to ruin it. Council Growers Sod in Tampa, Florida, is a local, family-owned sod farm that can answer all of your sod questions and help you keep those pests far from your yard. Call (813) 633-8665 today to learn more!
