Are insects bad for your lawn?

Merrideth Jiles, who is the garden center manager at The Great Outdoors Nursery and Landscaping Center in Austin, Texas, answers the question of whether insects are bad for your lawn by saying, "It depends on the bugs. The two main bug problems for lawns would be grub worms and cinch bugs. Grubs are the larval forms of beetles; usually the Japanese beetle grub is the one that we have the most problem with. They eat leaves, so they are not good for a lawn. Cinch bugs also eat the roots of grass and they eat right where the grass comes out of the ground, right at that junction."

The signs of a grub infestation are brown, dead patches that are slightly soggy and can be lifted out of the lawn, usually occurring during spring and fall. The signs of a cinch bug infestation are also brown dead patches of lawn that can occur from spring right through fall. In addition to manufactured chemical compounds that can be purchased to kill off these pests, a home-remedy for grubs is to pull up the dead grass and simply pick out the grubs from the underside. For cinch bugs, it said that soaking the soil with warm water and then covering it with a white cloth will draw them up. Wait for about fifteen minutes to catch a lot of them and you can pull them right off the cloth.

Depending on the area that you live in, some other insects that may be around and are bad for your lawn include army worms, billbugs, cutworms, fiery skippers, leaf hoppers, sod webworms, mole crickets and mites. Certain types of ants also can cause problems including the pavement ant, the field ant, and the argentine ant. There are chemicals that are available to kill off almost any type of bug. When shopping around for an insect repellent or killer, you have to take into consideration all of the factors surrounding your lawn, including what else you have planted and the presence of pets or small children.

Not all insects are bad for your lawn. In fact many bugs are beneficial. Besides the obvious, almost decorative insects, such as bees and butterflies, Jiles says, "Nematodes and earthworms are great for a lawn. Nematodes also eat bugs that are bad for plants. Anything that helps the soil breakdown or helps organic material breakdown is good for a lawn. There are also microorganisms - beneficial fungi and bacteria."

Jiles goes on to say, "Most other bugs really do not affect the lawn that much." So, if you notice an invasion of creepy-crawlies do not automatically jump to the conclusion that they are bad for your lawn. Do a little research or consult a professional before attempting anything as risky as chemical methods. They are needed, under the right circumstances, but the less that you use them, the better off your lawn will naturally be. So, if your grass is as lush and green as ever, just "Live and Let Live".