Summer heat brings unwelcome bugs

During certain times of the year, we need to be on the lookout for diseases, insects, and weeds that can attack or infest our landscapes and lawns. Each pest problem has certain conditions in which it thrives.

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In a cool, wet spring, we know that oak leaf blister and other fungi can attack our plants. In the spring, weeds such as annual bluegrass are a problem, and our lawns can be overrun by crabgrass.

Now that summer has arrived, accompanied by heat and dry periods, it is time for some insects to show up. We have two insects to watch for now. The first likes hot, dry conditions and the second is hatching from eggs to start its life cycle. These insects are chinch bugs and mole crickets.

Chinch bugs are a pest on St. Augustine grass and can attack other types of grass. They are small, about an eighth of an inch long, black with whitish-colored wings. The larva stage is reddish-orange. They will have multiple generations in a summer, so they spread rapidly. They live next to the soil surface in the thatch layer.

There are a couple of ways to find chinch bugs. The first is by using a flotation device. This is a gallon can with both ends cut out and inserted into the ground deep enough that it will hold water. Fill the can with water and wait. It will take about five minutes for the chinch bugs to float to the top. Another way is to part the grass and look for chinch bugs as they move about. When the chinch bug population is high, they are easy to see.

They damage the grass by sucking the juice out of the stems and runners. Infected St. Augustine will turn yellow and then brown. In years past, we could count on July and August being the months that we had to worry about chinch bugs, but during the past few years, they started in May and lasted until November.

Because chinch bugs like hot, dry conditions, the first place they will show up is next to hard surfaces such as roads, driveways and sidewalks. If you see these areas turning yellow, chinch bugs are properly the reason.

The best control options for homeowners are insecticides that contain cyfluthrin or bifenthrin. Cyfluthrin can be found in Bayer Advanced products such as Bayer Advanced Complete Insect Killer or Carpenter Ant and Termite Killer. Bifenthrin can be found in Ortho Max Bug-B-Gon. Apply and water these products in well. The insecticide must get down to the soil surface to kill the insects. Repeat the treatment when you see active bugs. Remember to always follow the pesticide label to get better results controlling pest.

The other insect to look out for is mole crickets, which were introduced into this country around 1918 from South America. There are two main species that affect turfgrass: the Southern mole cricket and the tawny mole cricket.

Mole crickets damage turf by tunneling through the sod and the Southern mole cricket eats the roots. The tawny mole cricket is a predator and eats other insects, but it does a great deal of damage by tunneling.

Mole crickets have one generation per year. The adults emerge in April and take their mating flights. Once mating occurs, the female lays her eggs in the turf, then both the male and female die. The eggs hatch in June and early July in our area.

Treat for mole crickets when they are small, because the smaller the mole cricket the easier they are to control. Use a soap flush to determine whether you have them. Mix one to two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid in three to five gallons of water and pour out over an area three feet by three feet. If there are mole crickets, they will come out of the ground.

There are two options for control. The first is to treat with a fast-acting product that gives fast control. To get the best results, treat in mid-June and again in mid-July. Treat as late in day as possible. Mole crickets move around on top of the grass at night. If you apply the pesticide as close to dark as possible, the insecticide will be at full strength. Try bifenthrin (Ortho Max Bug-B-Gon).

The other option is to treat with a longer-lasting insecticide such as imidacloprid or fipronil. The imidacloprid (Bayer Advance Lawn Product) will give control for up to three months. Fipronil (Chipco Choice or Top Choice) will give season long control. You can find fipronil where commercial lawn care professionals purchase pesticides, or you can hire them to apply it. You can apply either of these products in early June and still get control with one application.

Reach Columbia County extension agent Charles Phillips at (706) 868-3413 or charlesp@uga.edu, or the extension at www.ugaextension.com/columbia.