It’s late in the summer, you see patches of brown, dying grass. You think it could be due to the summer heat, but when you pull the grass, it comes up easily. Then you see them: little, fat, white, humpbacked grubs with brown heads. Controlling billbugs in your lawn starts at their larvae stage. You may see black adult billbugs walking around in May or October. But it’s the larvae that can do a lot of damage by eating grass stems and roots.

Dealing with Billbugs in Your Lawn

If you notice adult billbugs around pathways, sidewalks, and your driveway, there’s a good chance the larvae is currently feeding under the patchy spots in your lawn. Billbugs can be tricky to control because the larvae feed inside the grass stems. This makes it harder to reach them with any insecticides you may apply to your lawn. Plus, the adult bodies do not absorb the insecticides used to kill them.

There are products that can control the billbug population on your lawn. Once you notice any active adults around the area, insecticides can be applied to the suspected areas of grass, then watered to ensure the active ingredients reach the soil.

Treating Your Lawn After a Billbug Infestation

If you catch them before they do too much damage, small areas of affected lawn can usually recover once the billbug larvae is gone. Restore your lawn with water and fertilizer and reseed areas if needed. If the infestation has reached a high enough level, contact the lawn care specialists at Cardinal Lawns for ways to combat billbugs.