Damage Symptoms of Common Turfgrass Pest Problems and Possible Causes
Disruption of Soil
Symptom: Hills, piles or structures of loose dirt on turf
Possible cause:Ants
Symptom: Mounds up to 18 inches tall with no visible entrance(s)
on mound with ants emerging in mass when disturbed
Possible cause: Red imported fire ants
Symptom: Small mounds with rims around single central entrance
holes and presence of small (3/16 in.) grayish black ants
Possible cause: Pyramid ants
Symptom: Many hills of course soil with central exit holes
and presence of large (3/8 in.) red-brown ants with spines on the thorax
Possible cause: Texas leafcutting ant
Symptom: Flat cleared areas up to 3 ft. in diameter made of course
soil particles with a single central exit hole and with the presence of large
(3/8 in.) reddish-brown ants with squarish heads and no spines
Possible cause: Red harvester ant
Symptom: Trails of raised, loose dirt through turf roughly 1/2 inch
wide in an "S" shaped pattern
Possible cause: Mole crickets
Symptom: Small piles of dirt "pellets" (1/8 in.) scattered
through thatch
Possible cause: Earthworms
Symptom: Earthen chimneys with center holes (about 1/2"
diameter)
Possible cause: Crawfish
Symptom: Small piles of loose dirt associated with exit holes
Possible cause: Green June beetle larvae
Symptom: Round holes (up to 1/2 in. diameter) in soil
Possible cause: Digger wasp nests or cicada exit holes
Direct damage to grass causing yellowing or plant death:
Symptom: Grass blades chewed or missing
Possible cause: Grasshoppers [PDF]
Symptom: Presence of gray-brown caterpillars up to 1 in. long with
an inverted cream-colored "Y" on the fronts of the head capsules
Possible cause: Armyworms
Symptom: Presence of gray-brown caterpillars up to 1 in. long that
curl into a tight "C" position when disturbed
Possible cause: Cutworms
Symptom: Presence of translucent greenish caterpillars up to 3/4
in. long with black raised spots on each body segment
Possible cause: Tropical sod webworm
Symptom: Roots missing and presence of cream-colored "C" shaped
grubs with three legs on body segments behind brown head
Possible cause: White grubs
Symptom: No tissue removed, with presence of orange, white and black
nymph and adult stages of bugs up to 1/4 in. long
Possible cause: Chinch
bugs
Symptom: No tissue removed, but with "galls" or globular
objects (scales) in the root zone
Possible cause: Rhodes grass scale or ground
pearls
Symptom: No tissue removed, but with shortened internodes producing
a typical rosetting and tufted growth, or a "witch broom" effect;
grass may be very yellow or whitish in appearance with no insects visible
to the naked eye
Possible cause: Bermuda grass (stunt) mites
or buffalo grass (stunt) mites
In addition to the links above, try these related links or search the Department of Entomology and Extension Entomology online publications:
