If you've noticed lawn damage, such as bare patches or chewed grass blades, it could be a sign that it's infested by a lawn insect! There are several kinds of lawn insects in Colorado that could infest your turf, including grubs, chinch bugs, billbugs, and sod webworms. Grubs are beetle larvae and feed on the roots of your grass. Chinch bugs can damage grass by sucking the sap from them. Billbugs are a type of beetle that feeds on grass blades and roots. Sod webworms are the larvae of moths and feed on grass at night. Although unique in their own way, each of these lawn insects will cause damage to your lawn if not controlled!

1. Grubs hatch in the soil under your turf and feed on the roots of the grass.

Grubs are insects that can quietly infest your lawn, going unnoticed until the damage is already done! They are white, C-shaped larvae of beetles that hatch in the soil under your turf. Once they hatch, they will quickly begin feeding on the roots of your grass. If not treated, they can cause significant damage to your lawn by severing the connection between your grass and the soil, leaving your turf unable to absorb the nutrients it needs to continue growing. This will result in patches of dead grass across your lawn.

The best way to protect your lawn from grubs is via preventative grub control treatments, which can prevent them from ever becoming a problem!

2. Chinch bugs feed on your turf by sucking sap from the grass blades.

Chinch bugs are a common lawn insect that will quickly kill large areas of your lawn if left untreated! They are bright orange with a white band during their nymph stage. As they mature, they turn dark red before finally reaching solid black with white wings. They feed on turf by sucking sap from the grass blades, causing it to turn yellow and die. In the early stages, the damage is spotty, but as the infestation grows, large areas of your lawn can die. Prompt intervention is essential for eliminating these insects before they cause too much damage.

3. Billbugs hatch on grass blades and feed on the grass and the roots.

A billbug lawn insect feeding on a blade of grass in Grand Junction, CO.

If you see grayish-black beetles on your property, they could be billbugs! Billbugs are a type of beetle that hatch on grass blades. After they hatch, they will first feed on the grass blades before eventually feeding on the roots. If not controlled, they will continue feeding on the roots, causing damage to your turf. If you notice these lawn pests on your property, you'll want to schedule professional lawn insect control treatments right away to deal with them.

4. Sod webworms feed on grass blades at night.

Small, silk-lined tunnels on your turf near the soil could be a sign of a sod webworm infestation! Sod webworms are brownish/grayish with black spots and are the larvae of adult lawn moths. They hatch on the lawn and feed on the grass blades at night. During the day, however, they hide near the soil's surface inside silk-lined burrows. If they're not controlled, they can cause serious damage to large areas of turf, leaving brown scars on the grass blades.

Reach out to us today to schedule our lawn insect control service.

At Mesa Turf Masters, we can make lawn insects a problem of the past via our lawn insect control service. We have the skills and experience needed to correctly identify the lawn insect you're dealing with before applying treatments to eliminate them. We offer this service to property owners in Grand Junction, CO, and other surrounding cities, such as Fruita and Palisade. Reach out to us today at (970) 434-5440 to sign up!