The staff at Wrightsville Beach Landscaping has noticed an increased presence of Sod Webworms in St. Augustine grasses and Armyworms in Bermuda grasses this season. Typically, a normal turf insecticide program would suffice to eliminate these pesky lawn-destroyers, but due to a prolonged and especially hot summer this year, there is increased potential for damage.
Evidence of the worms is fairly easy to spot in both St. Augustine and Bermuda grasses because it looks unusual. One telltale sign is damage that seems to appear overnight. Damaged lawns have large circular areas that can appear brown or diseased, but closer inspection of the blades will show evidence of chewing or ragged edges. Webworms leave trails of web left behind from where they crawled through the St. Augustine grass. It is usually easiest to see evidence of the webs in the morning dew, as Sod Webworms prefer to feed at night. Armyworms prefer to feed midday, so increased presence of birds feeding on your lawn (the worms) are another sign to watch out for.
The worms are usually only an inch or two long, and light green, tan, or grayish-green with spots or stripes. Small moths are responsible for laying the eggs which hatch into the grass-eating worms. The moths themselves do not damage the turf, but once their eggs hatch, the larvae (worms) will immediately begin feeding upon the turf.
The typical course of treatment includes more intensive or frequent rounds of insecticide, but our chemical specialists can determine the exact treatment necessary to rid your turf of these damaging pests. It is important to catch evidence of the worms early in order to prevent as much damage as possible, but your lawn will immediately begin to recover once the worms are eliminated from the turf.
