Mimeo E-61
Purdue University
Agricultural Extension Service
Department of Entomology
Lawn Insects
It is not uncommon to find may insects living in lawns and turf, but only a few kinds are of enough importance to require control measures. The following are those which may seriously injure or disfigure lawns, golf greens and other grassy areas.

White Grubs - White grubs are the larvae of June beetles. They are large, fat, white, curve-bodied grubs up to one inch in length. They have brown heads and prominent legs. White grubs live in the soil where they eat the roots of grasses causing the turf to turn brown and die. Most species require three years to reach maturity, but some kinds have a one year cycle and are known as annual white grubs. Turf showing brown or dead areas should be examined first for grubs. If these pests are responsible, the turf will be loose and can be pulled up or rolled back to expose the grubs. If the matt of grass is solid and no grubs can be found, it is quite possible the trouble is being caused by one of the common turf diseases.

Sod Webworms - Lawns composed of bent or young blue grasses are most likely to be injured by webworms. The first signs of damage are areas of unevenly cropped grasses. Close examination will show that the blades have been eaten away and there will be bits of chewed foliage and webs between the grass stems. The worms themselves are slender, cream-colored or light brown larvae found living in silken tubes attached to the base of the plants. There may be 3 or 4 generations each year.

Cutworms - Cutworms sometimes damage lawns especially where there is dampness and a rank growth of grass. They injure grass in the spring by cutting off the blades leaving small, elongated or irregular closely cropped brown spots in the turf.

Ants - The most serious lawn ants are the "mound builders" which may disfigure and destroy increasingly large areas of turf. Ants do not eat grass but interfere with its growth by loosening and honey-combing the soil and by throwing up mounds of earth.

Chiggers - Chiggers are tiny mites often found in lawns during the summer months. Chiggers do not damage turf, but their annoyance to humans can be prevented by applying treatments for the control of turf insects.

Digger Wasps - Large, yellow and black wasps, especially one known as the "cicada killer", may disfigure lawns by digging holes in the soil and throwing up mounds of earth several inches across. These holes in the soil are nesting sites made large enough to accommodate the bodies of cicadas which the wasps sting and drag into the burrows. The paralyzed cicadas serve as food for the wasp larvae which hatch from eggs laid upon them. Cicada killers are not known sting or otherwise injure humans, unless handled.	'
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