Webworm Impact on Lawns

August 20th, 2018

Webworm Impact on Lawns

When you invest your money, time, and effort into cultivating a lush, green sod yard, the last thing that you want is for that lawn to be ruined by pests.

Unfortunately, small bugs and insects love to make themselves at home in your yard. This is why it’s so important for you to understand the prevention, symptoms, and treatments associated with sod pests like the webworm.

What Are Sod Webworms?

Webworms are small, tan moths with a one-inch wingspan. They easy to distinguish by their zigzagging motions over sod, usually around dusk each day.

Webworm eggs take two weeks to develop into worms that damage sod lawns. If you find those eggs anywhere in your yard, chances are you have two weeks to seek professional lawn care help before worms begin causing damage to your lawn. The moths and eggs themselves actually can’t be killed, so action can only be taken once the worms have developed and are ready to cause trouble.

How to Identify Webworm Damage
The webworms that hatch from moth eggs thrive on grass blades. They begin with nibbles and quickly progress to eating large patches of grass.

If a lawn was very healthy before the presence of these, it’s much easier for the grass to recover and grow back to normal. However, grass that was already suffering tends to show more signs of damage by looking spotty and too short. It’s easy to misinterpret webworm damage for grass that has been damaged by heat and drought, especially as the end of summer approaches.

Stop The Damage By Calling the Experts

If you see webworm moths, don’t panic, since the moths themselves don’t actually cause any damage. Try mixing two tablespoons of liquid dish soap with two gallons of water and soak an area of your sod. It should take about 15 minutes for any tan-spotted worms present to crawl to the surface.

If you aren’t sure how to address your diseased turf, call (813) 684-7336 to schedule an appointment with Green Solutions Lawn Care and Pest Control. The Tampa lawn care experts at Green Solutions will help you beautify and preserve your outdoor landscape, even in the face of Florida’s harsh weather.