Is your yard visited frequently by lovely birds? Are they digging around for a good meal? If so - you may have insects in your lawn. Birds feeding in a lawn is an easy way to tell. Some insects are not harmful to your lawn. Unfortunately some can damage the lawn and make for an unsightly yard.

Sod Webworm

The sod webworm is one of the most common grass pests in the Rocky Mountain region. Adult webworms are small moths which flit about the lawn during mowing, but do not feed on the lawn.

Young webworms are caterpillars, measuring about one-quarter to one inch in length. They are brown or gray and with rows of dark spots on their backs. During the day, young webworms live in silk-lined tunnels in thatch and the surface of the soil. At night, they feed on grass leaves.

A heavily infested lawn may not grow very much, the grass may become thin and some dead patches may develop. Most lawns are healthy enough to withstand substantial webworm populations without dead spots or thinning grass. (Sited from © Colorado State University Extension, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Industries of Colorado, Inc.)

White Grubs

These are small, white, c-shaped larvae that attack grass at the roots.  Their eggs are laid in the late spring to early summer and hatch within 10-14 days in moist soil.  They feed on the roots throughout the summer and fall seasons.

Like any insect or disease in the lawn, the best preventative care is to keep the lawn free of buildup of materials that tend to contain moisture, such as mulch and leaves.  Aerating assists the break-up of thatch that builds up, keeping moisture near the roots of the grass.

Applying pesticides, between late May to mid-August affects the laying of the eggs in early summer, or in late fall, destroying the hatched, feeding grubs.