Control chinch bugs, mole crickets and sod webworm naturally
By George Atchley
St. Augustine grass is the most common turfgrass in Florida, comprising 51 percent of total sod acreage in the state. Unfortunately, it isn’t just popular with people — it’s also a favorite of chinch bugs and mole crickets.
Controlling these pests without the use of harmful chemicals can be challenging, but it isn’t impossible. Here are some tips for preventing or eliminating chinch bugs and mole crickets naturally.
Chinch Bugs
The southern chinch bug is the most damaging insect pest of St. Augustine grass. Drought stress is often associated with southern chinch bug outbreaks. However, over-watering may also contribute to additional pest problems.
Proper plant maintenance through correct irrigation, fertilization, and mowing is critical to promoting lawn health and resistance to pests. Mowing is vital for maintaining lawns properly and promoting plant tolerance to stress. Clippings from mowing should be left on the lawn because they break down easily, provide nutrients to the lawn and do not contribute to the buildup of thatch, which can prevent water and nutrients from reaching your soil. It’s a good idea to add a dethatching routine in the spring to make sure your grass will be able to be at its healthiest.
Fertilization with high-nitrogen products promotes egg production in chinch bugs. For a slow-release, low-nitrogen choice, ClimateYard™ will give your lawn and underlying soil the food it needs to be healthy, and not provide a friendly environment for chinch bugs.
Mole Crickets
Mole crickets can become serious pests of lawns, pastures and vegetable seedlings. Three non-native species of mole crickets occur in Florida, including the tawny, southern and short-winged mole crickets. Adults are about 1 1/2 inch long, light brown, and have enlarged forelegs that they use to dig in soil.
Mole cricket nymphs and adults feed on grass roots and blades at night after rain or irrigation, during warm weather. Their tunneling near the soil surface dislodges plants or causes them to dry out.
Small mounds of soil are also pushed up by late summer, and more than 20 feet of tunneling per night can occur. Tunneling and root-feeding reduce lawn density and create patches of bare soil.
Pesticides require regular reapplication, which costs money and time. They also create potential hazards by posing potential risks to non-target beneficial organisms or infiltrating groundwater.
Biocontrol organisms are highly host-specific, meaning they only or primarily attack the target pest. An economic analysis conducted in 2016 determined that the mole cricket biological control saved the Florida cattle industry over $13 million in annual pest control, crop loss and mitigation costs.
The Larra Wasp is a natural enemy of mole crickets. Its young feed and develop on mole crickets, and the adults feed on nectar from flowering plants. Each generation of Larra wasps kills about 1/4 of the local mole cricket population – and there are three generations of wasps per year, compared to one generation of mole crickets.
Larra bicolor wasps do not sting humans unless caught and held in the hand. These insects are solitary, which means they have no nest to defend. It is more beneficial for them to flee than to sting.
It is relatively simple to attract and promote these wasps on your own property. Plant their favored host flowering plants, and let nature do the work for you. Shrubby false buttonweed, partridge pea, and Star flower/Pentas are much less expensive than chemical treatments and require little to no maintenance.
Sod Webworm
The Tropical Sod Webworm is a pesky critter who loves St. Augustine grass, though it will chow down on Bahia, Bermuda and Zoysia, as well.
Their life-cycle in Northeast Florida is usually April-November. The light-tan moths lay eggs. You’ll know they are around when you walk through your yard and the moths scatter. The moths aren’t the lawn-eaters. Their caterpillar larvae are the feeders. They are usually 3/4 to 1 inch long, gray-green, and get greener as they eat more grass. They feed from dusk to dawn, and do the most damage overnight.
Solutions
Water regularly and reduce thatch and other horticultural stresses on lawns.
For light to moderate infestations use a soap drench (2 Tbsp. liquid soap per gallon of water) to draw caterpillars up to the lawn surface, then rake and destroy.
Conclusion
Keeping your yard mowed and properly irrigated and fertilized will promote healthy growth and pest resistance. Feeding your lawn and soil with ClimateYard™ is the environmentally safe choice for lawn care.