One constant concern in caring for our lawns is the presence of bugs, insects, and pests. This is a common problem, and it requires that the lawn should be periodically checked for bugs and pests.

Here are the top 7  lawn pests and insects that can cause some damage to your lawn:

1. Armyworm: Armyworm larvae go from place to place and feed on the shoots of the grass. They eat at night and sometimes on cloudy days, but they usually hide int he thatch layer during the day. They eat the grass as soon as they are hatched from their eggs. They also move as a group, which makes it imperative to eliminate them as soon as you spot some to stop their spread.

2. Bluegrass Bill Bugs: Simply known as the Bill Bug, this pest feed in the roots, rhizomes, and shoots of the grass. The Billy Bug larvae feed into the stems where there is moisture, and it is here when they cause great damage to the grass. The adults only cause minor damage as compared to the larvae. The larvae are usually hatched and appear in late May and June.

3. European Chafer: The larvae of this species feed on the roots and rhizomes in midsummer. During this time, the grass aren’t able to regenerate well and brown patches will appear.  As they grow (with one year life cycle) they will move to swarm in the trees.

4. Japanese Beetle: The larvae also feed on the roots and rhizomes in the summertime, causing brown patches to appear on the grass.  The adult Japanese Beetle feeds on fruit and on shrubs.

5. June Beetle: The larvae also feed on the roots and rhizomes in the summertime. It is larger than the other larvae pests and has an irregular life cycle. The adult June Beetle feeds on foliage and on shrubs. You can see them at night flying around lights.

6. Hairy Cinch Bug: This bug drinks the juice s from the grass, thus giving the grass irregular yellow or brown patches. The Hairy Cinch Bugs, or Nymphs, first appear in May, then a second generation appears in September.

7. Sod Webworm: The Sod Webworm larvae feed on the shoots of the grass, eating the grass down to soil level. They eat at night. The moths hide in constructed silk-lined tunnels through the thatch layer and into the soil. They usually fly at dusk or when there’s foot traffic in the lawn.

There are specific insecticides and solutions for each of these lawn pests and insects. You might want to consult with a lawn care or gardening expert to learn how to take care of your lawn better against these pests and insects.

To learn how to minimize your lawn pests and insects problems, read Bruce Zimmerman’s Know Your Turf Grass Thugs.

Reducing or eliminating moles/ ground vole problem in your lawn would take a lot of patience and time.

Lawn moles are animals that live underground. They are about the same size as a chipmunk. They are typically six to eight inches long (about 15 to 20 cm) and weigh only three to six ounces (about 85 to 170 grams). They don’t eat the grass as people think but the burrow tunnels below the soil surface as they forage for grubs worms, earth worms and insects. They destroy the root system of lawn. First signs of lawn moles are the small mountains and pathways they form on the surface of ground as they create and burrow tunnels near the surface.

In the South area, Moles are called as Voles. You can reduce their food source by placing a long lasting grub preventative in your lawn during summer so their activity would reduced too. But this will not guarantee moles to leave but this could definitely help. In addition, you can also try to use mole repelling treatments for your lawn. Designed to drive moles away from lawn.

lawn moles prefer to stay deep underground where their tunnels are not evident from the surface. A lawn that is over watered, however, will cause the insects to move to toward the surface. As a result, the lawn moles will build new tunnels that are closer to the surface in order to hunt for food. Keeping the lawn properly watered helps keep lawn moles far below the surface, where they can benefit the yard rather than damaging it with tunnels.

Sod Web Worms
also known as lawn moths, are usually ½ an inch to an inch long. They infest turf grasses and a major problems of most lawn owners. These insects are usually dormant during the daytime, but feed on your grass during the night resulting in brown patches in your lawn. Among the grasses where these insects are most prevalently found are bluegrass, bent grass, buffalo grass, and zoysia grass. During the summer if they are allowed to reproduce and continue to feed on your grass.

Fire Ants
These red ants may just be ¼ inches long, their bites can be very painful and dangerous, when suffering from many bites . so many homeowners want to rid their property of Fire Ants. They can build up colonies that are one or two feet high, housing thousands of these Fire Ants. Controlling the spread of these Ants can be very difficult as thousands can be killed and more will still appear in coming weeks.

Mole Crickets
They are small brown insects which are about 1 inch long and often infest turf grass areas. are usually the states who have to battle constantly with Mole Cricket infestation from North Carolina to Texas and parts of southern New Mexico. Mole Crickets are especially damaging for golf course owners as they eat the grass blades from the root up so that it must be replanted. Now, these insects do not eat much and thus, only large populations will prove damaging in most cases.

Scale Insects or Coccoidea
Scale Insects are very small insects that are parasites of many plants and a very difficult problem to have as their small size makes them hard to detect and exterminate. These insects are also known as Coccoidea.Coccoidea
These pests are parasites of many plants and fees on the natural sap that plants produce. Once Coccoidea insects find a plant, they usually become immobile and fees off the plant for the remainder of their life. Apart from their small size, adult scale insects can be especially tough to exterminate has they are often invulnerable to pesticides due to their covering. Pesticides are often only effective against young scale insects who have not yet developed their coating but these insects are always moving and thus can be difficult to detect.

Japanese Beetles
The Japanese beetle is a small beetle, just greater than ½ an inch long, which have come to the US from Japan. They are destructive to grape vines, rose bushes, and many other plants. These beetles are not dangerous to your family or your lawn, but can ruin gardens in a matter of weeks if not controlled. The best way to control this pest is the use of beetle traps. Japanese Beetles are weak fliers and thus often fall when flying, especially when they make contact with an object. These beetle traps emit a scent that attracts the Japanese Beetles and once these beetles make contact with the trap, they fall into a pit and cannot escape. Pesticides to control the growth of Japanese beetles can also be used but many people prefer to have organic gardens and thus steer clear of the use of chemicals to exterminate pests.