Bug Identification

This page is to help you identify a handful of the most common bugs we find damaging turf and ornamentals in our area. If you think you have a bug problem please give us a call or send us an e-mail you’ll find all our contact info under the company info tab here on our web site.

Lawn Bugs

If you think you may have a bug problem in your lawn,
please click here for our Bugs Vs. Drought Page.

There are primarily 3 insect species that inflict the majority of all turf damage to lawns here in Utah. These 3 pests are: Billbugs, Sod Web Worms, and White Grubs. With all 3, the larval stage of development is their most destructive.

     Billbugs: These nasty little larvae have a ferocious appetite for turf. Infested areas will pull up in tufts - but not peel back like white grub infested areas. Billbug damage is easily identified by the white "frass" (a white excrement that resembles christmas tree flocking) found in the thatch layer. If you think you might have Billbugs, please call us A.S.A.P.!

Billbug Larvae

Billbug Damage

Billbugs Caught in the Act

Adult Billbug

     Sod Web Worms: are common in many suburban and rural neighborhoods, and can cause a significant amount of damage. Sod web worms are the larvae of small beige-brown/gray moths that lay their eggs in turf. You have likely seen these moths as you've walked through lawns or pushed a mower across. Upon your disturbance/intrusion, these moths flutter up with their erratic flying pattern - out of the turf - and generally land just a few feet away.

We have noted that lawns in near proximity to alfalfa fields are particularly prone to these infestations. Luckily, most varieties feed at the stem level instead of at the roots - so damage will typically grow out if the lawn is briefly pampered. The exception, however, is the Cranberry Girdler variety - which are subterranean.

Typically, sod web worms are not all that hard to find. To locate these pests, you should go out early in the morning (because they feed at night), locate a section of damaged turf, and search through the thatch right along the edges (because they eat their way outwards). You can find them later in the day, but you may have to look deeper. If there are enough to damage the lawn (healthy turf has a pretty high threshold before damage is visible), you will find them. In addition, you should also find chewed up green excrement in the thatch.

     White Grubs: are the worst little pests you’d never want in your lawn. Because they feed on the roots of your grass, they destroy it "root and all."

The symptoms of turf affected by white grubs are very easy to diagnose. Affected areas will literally peel back like a carpet - because the grubs have clipped the roots off. Beneath these rolls of sod you'll find bare dirt, and if they are still there, you'll see the fat, white grubs.

If you suspect you have white grubs, please call us A.S.A.P.! They are harder to kill because they are under the thatch layer - and you cannot afford to waste precious days fooling around with store-bought, watered-down nursery products that may or may not get the job done quickly! Every bit of grass they eat from DIES! It doesn't hurt it - it kills it!

White Grub Damage

White Grubs In Turf

Shrubs and Trees

There are a few bugs we frequently find in trees and shrubs: Spruce Mites, Root Weevils, and Aphids. While there are a few others, they are not very common and are more difficult to identify.

NOTE: If you have quaking aspens see our F.A.Q. section on Quaking Aspens.

     Spider Mites: are commonly found in mid to late summer. They thrive in the heat and put a lot of stress on the host plant. We commonly find them in Dwarf Alberta Spruces, Blue Spruces, Colorado Spruces, Junipers, Fitzers, Tams, and other assorted conifers and evergreens. Spider mites can devastate a plant because they attack in the heat of summer - when the plant is most vulnerable.

Symptoms of a mite infestation are lack of plant vigor, and needles turning brown and falling off. Mites often first appear where the host plants are exposed to afternoon sun or where in close proximity to a heat-absorbing surface such as brick or stucco.

To check for mites:

1. Simply place a white sheet of paper under a branch you suspect may be infested.
2. Shake the branch vigorously (lots of dust, dirt, and needles will fall on the paper).
3. Now watch the paper very carefully (if you don’t have good eyesight use a magnifying glass).
4. If you have mites, you will see tiny reddish-brown specks moving around on the paper.

If you have or suspect mites call us A.S.A.P.! Several over-the-counter products either make the claim of killing mites and do not, or kill ALL the mites including beneficial predator mites.

     Root Weevil: are a prominent cause of damage on ornamental shrubs and bushes - particularly in Euonymus', Laurels, Lilacs, Rhododendrons, and other plants with soft, green leaves.

If you have any of these plants just listed, look for "u" shaped bite-marks along the edges of the leaves, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch in size. Sometimes you will find leaves with several of these bite marks, causing it to look like the serrated edge of a bread knife.

If these signs are present, you have a root weevil problem. As with most problem pests, root weevils actually do the most damage in their larval stage when they are feeding on plant roots and stunting (or even killing) host plants.

Because root weevils burrow at the base of the plant during the daytime, contact-insecticides are ineffective. We will, therefore, treat the plant with systemic-insecticides which are absorbed into the plant and translocated through its cellular tissues (so that when they come up to feed they will ingest the toxins).

Root Weevil Damaged Rhododendron

Adult Root Weevil

     Aphids: can be red, black, green, brown, and yellow. They primarily attack roses, although we have found them in just about everything. They generally favor new, tender growth and - given the time - will suck the life right out of the host plant with their needle shaped mouth parts.

Aphids are easy to find: check new growth and the underside of leaves. On Cherry Trees(another aphid favorite), look for leaves curling under.

If you find this pest, please call us A.S.A.P.! Though natural controls such as lady bug introduction do help, they take a significant amount of time and aren’t very effective if you have already reached the point of infestation.

black aphids with red ants

aphids on underside of leaf