What's Bugging Your Lawn?

Last Friday marked the official first day of summer in Montgomery County, whether you’re by the pool in Cheltenham or Plymouth Meeting, the summer heat is upon us. With this type of weather we know the lawn is in for a challenging few months.  The season long hurdle is the lack of rainfall which can quickly turn a lush lawn into a barren desert.  During the drought season, it’s easy for other lawn issues to get set aside until the lawn returns to its green state. Most people think once the lawn enters its dormant stage during a dry spell, nothing can go wrong.  Quite the contrary! Insect damage is very common during the drought season. From chinchbugs to grubs, these lawn insects can be feeding on the lawn while you’re enjoying the new Superman movie at the Movie Tavern in Collegeville. 

The first pest your lawn will face this summer is the chinchbug. The chinchbug is an extremely tiny insect that is usually difficult to spot with the naked eye. As someone who inspects lawns for their activity, I will rarely see them in action, since an adult is about 1/6 of an inch long. Chinchbug damage will be the first type of insect damage that you will see this summer.  By early July you will notice areas starting to turn brown at a different rate than other drought stressed lawns.  Chinchbugs usually target lawns with a dense thatch layer that is exposed to constant sunlight from dawn to dusk.  Unlike turf that enters its dormancy period during a drought, this turf will not bounce back after a few strong mid-August storms.  Keep an eye out for irregular patterns in parts of the lawn that are in the sun all day such as in the picture bellow and call your local lawn care technician for advice on how to handle the damage. 

Helpful tips to avoid chinchbug damage

-Use endophytically enhanced grass seed when seeding in the fall. Chinchbugs and other insects avoid this type of grass.

-Maintain a healthy level of thatch throughout the season.  Aerate at least once per year to reduce any excess thatch.  The insects love lawns with a thick layer of thatch!

-Be careful when applying an insecticide.  Most products that you will find in stores are not the same quality as the products that a licensed technician can apply for you.

 Blog Post Contributed by Harry Bambi, Sales Supervisor