HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-04-15, Page 35Page 11
Don't let brown turf bug your lawn this summer
If your lawn turns brown this summer, in
spite of fertilization, watering, or rainfall,
then insects are likely to blame.
The damage is usually a result of insects
attacking the roots of the turfgrass.
Healthy grass has deep roots and can
withstand considerable drought, before tur-
ning brown.
To determine if insects are at the "root"
of the problem, carefully inspect the
browned -out patches.
Chinch bugs, sod webworm and white
grubs are common lawn pests.
Chinch bugs use their piercing
mouthparts to suck sap from the stems of
grass plants — usually causing the grass to
wither and die.
The adult chinch bugs are about five
millimetres long, black in color with an ir-
regular white band on each wing.
"Finding the bugs in slightly damaged
lawns can be difficult because they tend to
hide in the thatch layer," says Hor-
ticulturist Ruth Friendship -Keller of the On-
tario Ministry of Agriculture and Food's
rural organizations and services branch.
But chinch bugs can be flushed out with
water; flood the dead, sunken patches in the
lawn and place a white cloth over the area.
The chinch bugs will crawl onto the cloth
where they can be seen more easily.
Another method of detection is to force a
large can — from which the top and bottom
have been removed — into the turf just out-
side the edge of the browned -out area.
Fill the can with water and tease the grass
at the bottom; the chinch bugs will rise to
the surface of the water where they can be
seen -more easily.
If you find chinch bugs, apply a chemical,
Cutworms emerge from the soil
and devour the turfgrass plants.
Cutworms can be a problem in
spring. summer and fall- They can
be a very serious pest on the
prairies.
Leatherjackets are a pest in
the coastal regions of Canada.
They devour grass roots. Damaged
turf pulls back like a carpet.
Leatherjackets are a pest in spring
and fall. They become European
Crane Flies when mature.
i3
Chinch Bugs are a problem in
the heat of the summer. They inject
a poison into the turfgrass plants
and suck plant juices. Damage
looks like the lawn is suffering from
lack of water.
Sod Webworms chew grass
blades off at the plant base- Often
you can find their green manure.
Sod webworms become white
moths which dart above the lawn.
These moths are noticeable when
mowing the lawn.
White Grubs feed on the roots
of grass plants. Damaged turf pulls
back like a carpet Grubs are
usually a problem in spring and fall.
White grubs become beetles like
June Bugs and European Chafers.
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