Moths in lawn? Lawn moths? Insect damage?

Moths in lawn? Lawn moths? Insect damage?

 Most likely, moths are the adult stage of sod webworm. The sod webworm larva themselves can be very destructive to your lawn. While the moths are annoying, as they stir up and fly close to your lawn, they spread the eggs for the larva. There could be up to 4 generations of sod webworms on your lawn in one season. One female can lay up to 200 eggs at once.

Damage caused by sod webworms may appear in early spring as small dead patches of your lawn. As summer progresses, sod webworm infestations may cause more turf thinning or irregular dead patches in the early fall. Webworm moths and larva prefer warm sunny areas. Heavy shaded areas are usually not targeted by larva.

The most severe damage usually shows up in mid to late summer when temperatures are hot and the lawn isn't growing vigorously. If you keep your lawn well-irrigated, fertilized and thatched you may not sustain much damage. Sod webworms damage is often mistaken for heat and drought stress.

If you are reading this because your lawn is starting to look like this. Or you have white/tan moths on your lawn you have sod webworm and you should get treatment  immediately. You should also get on our fertilization schedule to bring your lawn back to health.  Dead areas may also need to be reseeded. Do you have chinch bug, grub damage, excessive thatch, or fungus activity? Contact us today 860-747-1771 or CLICK HERE for a FREE evaluation.