When should you treat for Bill bugs?
Best Pesticides to Get Rid of Billbugs Regardless of which chemical solution you use from the below options, you should apply any one in mid to late May.
When should I apply insecticide to my lawn?
The best time to use a pesticide is when the soil is moderately dry and no rain is expected, on a cloudy day when temperatures are moderate. Never apply pesticide when there is wind to prevent the chemical from drifting to non-target areas.
What kills Billbug larvae?
Sevin® Insect Killer Granules kill and control adult billbugs and their larvae above and below the soil line. Apply the granules with a regular lawn spreader, and then water immediately to release the active ingredients into the soil.
How can I fix my damaged Billbug?
What Can You Do About Billbug Damage?Water deeply twice a week to try to keep the grass plant alive and help it recover.Let it go and plan on seeding in the late Summer with some tougher grass varieties that will be more resistant to Billbugs in the future. Try our Turf Type Tall Fescue Lawn Seed.
Does rain wash away insecticide?
For the most part, rain is not a problem. Many insecticides are water insoluble, meaning they won't wash away in the rain. Furthermore, eaves and guttering overhanging wall edges shield the base of your home.
What time of day is best to spray insecticide?
Many insects are most active early in the morning and around dusk, making very early morning and early evening the most effective times for insecticide application. Insecticides can have undesirable consequences if they are applied at the wrong time.
How do I identify a Billbug?
An adult billbug is a weevil that is either black or gray in color. A billbug adult has a long, narrow snout extruding from its head and a fairly broad thorax (or shoulder) that takes up around 1/3 of its total length. Its larvae are either cream or white in color and have hardened reddish-brown head capsules.
How do you prevent bill bugs?
Your best bet for billbug prevention is to use a billbug-specific insecticide. This works to kill larvae before they have the chance to destroy your turf.
What do chinch bugs do to a lawn?
Chinch bugs cause great damage to your lawn by piercing grass blades with their piercing mouthparts. Once the bugs have pierced the grass, they suck out leaf juices, which dries the grass blade out. The bugs also release a toxin while feeding which can kill the grass.
What does bluegrass Billbug look like?
The adult bluegrass billbug is a gray, brown, or black weevil notable for its long snout. Its snout has chewing mouth-parts at the tip. The adult, 3/8 " long, is often found walking on pavement. The larvae are white and legless with a brown head capsule and feed within the stems and on the fibrous roots of grass.
What is a Billbug?
A billbug is a weevil or snout-beetle that, in its larval form, can cause damage to your lawn and is often misdiagnosed as drought stress.
What do billbugs do to grass?
Adult billbugs-black, slow-moving, snouted weevils- occasionally walk on sidewalks and driveways in May and October. The larvae damage lawns by hollowing out the grass stems and chewing off the roots. They can destroy an entire lawn.
Should you use insecticide on lawn?
Some lawns can go years without an insect infestation; you may never have needed an insecticide on a regular basis. However, observation is your key to healthy grass. When you see signs of insect activity, such as damaged grass blades, apply the granules immediately, regardless of the season.
Can you apply insecticide to wet grass?
Can you spray pesticides in the rain? The answer is not cut and dry. Sure, the inside can be sprayed, that's a given. However, spraying the yard and the perimeter of your home in the rain can be ineffective.
When should I apply Triazicide?
Answer: The best time to apply Spectracide Triazicide Once & Done Insect Killer Concentrate for mosquitoes is in the early morning or late evening. It is recommended to thoroughly wet the grass down a few hours before applying. Keep pets and people out of the area during application and until the area is fully dry.
Can you spray pesticide on wet grass?
How Long After Spraying Weeds Can I Water My Lawn. Granular weed killers should be applied when the grass is damp and left alone to work for a minimum of 48 hours before you water your lawn. Existing moisture will help the herbicide stick to the weeds.
What to look for
The grass turns brown and dies in expanding patches from mid-June to late August. When pulled, the grass lifts easily. Lying in the soil are fat, humpbacked grubs, white with brown heads, from 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. Adult billbugs-black, slow-moving, snouted weevils- occasionally walk on sidewalks and driveways in May and October.
How to deal with billbugs
Small damaged areas usually recover if the billbug larvae are killed. Water and fertilize the lawn to stimulate new growth. Reseed or resod large areas. Maintain proper soil moisture and lawn fertilization.
What do Billbugs Look Like?
Scientifically referred to as Sphenophorus spp., there are eleven different species of billbugs including rocky mountain billbugs, unequal billbugs, hunting billbugs, and bluegrass billbugs.
How do Billbugs Damage Grass?
Also dubbed as grub worms, white grubs, or lawn grubs, the billbug growth cycle starts with the laying of eggs in the late summer or fall. These eggs then turn into larvae, which then enter the pupal stage, and mature into adult billbugs.
How to Tell if You have a Billbug Problem?
Fact is that some homeowners either aren’t familiar with billbugs or mistake them for more friendly lawn insects such as ground beetles.
How to Treat Billbugs?
Since this area of your lawn is already damaged due to billbugs, you can pull up some of the patchy grass, so that you can reach deeper in the soil to determine the level of infestation. Remember, billbugs will be lingering on top in the spring, late summer and fall, and will be deeper in the ground during the winter.
How to Treat Billbugs Naturally?
It is best to try natural remedies to get rid of billbugs before moving up to chemical treatments that can affect the life of your family and pets. That said, here are natural ways to get rid of billbugs in your lawn.
Best Pesticides to Get Rid of Billbugs
Regardless of which chemical solution you use from the below options, you should apply any one in mid to late May.
What are Billbugs?
Billbugs are an invasive and destructive turf insect that can cause severe damage to residential and commercial lawns within a short time frame. From an early larvae stage to adulticide insect they feast on the top and bottom layer of foliage.
How to Get Rid of Billbugs?
To treat your yard for billbugs, we recommend using a combination of Dominion 2L and Bifen LP Granules to fight against larvae underneath your turf and matured billbugs traveling across your yard.
How to Prevent Billbug Reinfestation
Prevent a reinfestation of billbugs with regular watering, mowing, and early application of Dominion 2L and Bifen LP Granules in April to promote healthy turf and fight deter these pests from coming into your property.
When to apply billbug spray?
Applying in the summer, after billbugs have been feeding since spring, can still help to control populations and allow your grass to bounce back. See the video above for application instructions.
Why are billbugs controlled?
It is important to note that adult billbugs and billbug larvae are controlled with different products due to their feeding habits and harborage changes in the different parts of their life cycles.
When do billbugs hatch?
Typically, egg hatch will occur in late April through May, depending on which region you are located in. Treating for billbugs at this time will also help to avoid the damage to your lawn that billbugs cause.
How to get rid of larvae in lawn?
Watering your lawn a few days before application will help to bring larvae as close to the surface as possible to give you optimal chances of contact with insecticide. Mow lawn and remove clippings , and if the thatch layer is thick, aerate to increase penetration of the product.
How to tell if you have billbugs in your lawn?
It is very important to have a pest management professional (PMP) inspect patches of dead grass to determine what is causing the damage since it can be drought, a grass disease, or insects. To inspect for damage, pull up the dead grass; if it easily comes out of the ground it could be billbug larvae damage to the roots.
How big are billbugs?
Size: Adult billbugs are beetles in the weevil family. Depending on the particular species, they are about 1/2 to 1 inch long.
What is the first sign of a pest infestation?
Unless a professional inspection is done, homeowners may notice these pests moving across driveways, patios, and sidewalks as the first sign of infestation. If you see this, call your PMP and get their help to identify the insect.
Can billbugs live on siding?
The insects may gather on home siding, but they rarely come into the house. Billbugs around windows or doors sometimes wander inside, but they can't survive long away from lawns and gardens.
Does Orkin keep billbugs out of your house?
Orkin can provide the right solution to keep billbugs in their place…out of your home, or business.
How to treat billbugs on turf?
If you are dealing with visible turf damage caused by billbugs, you will want to immediately apply Bithenthrin, which offers insect control and kills on contact. As is always the case, prevention is the best medicine, so you will also want to begin applying Imidacloprid, which kills systemically, every May or June. Below are before and after photos of a golf course after treatment for billbugs.
What to do if billbugs come up on my lawn?
If you are easily able to pull up your turf, search in the top layer of soil for billbug larvae.
How do billbugs live?
If they overwinter as adults, they emerge in the spring, mate and lay eggs in the crown of the turfgrass. The larvae then emerges and begins to feed in the crown of the turfgrass, moving down the stem and then eventually below ground into the thatch layer and roots. The larval lifecycle is about a month. If the billbugs overw inter as larvae on the other hand, they immediately begin to feed on the roots in early spring, pupate in the soil, emerge as adults and continue their lifecycle. Regardless of how they overwinter (adults or larvae), it is critical that you break their cycle in your lawn by killing both the adults and the larvae. Below is an image taken by Dr. Brandenburg at NC State of a billbug larvae feeding on the roots of turfgrass. Although billbug larvae have a similar appearance to the white grub worm, billbug larvae don’t have legs.
What is a billbug in lawns?
A billbug is a weevil or snout-beetle that, in its larval form, can cause damage to your lawn and is often misdiagnosed as drought stress. Warm season grasses like zoysiagrass and bermudagrass are often affected by the hunting billbug, whereas cool season grasses like fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass can often succumb to bluegrass billbug damage. The hunting billbug can appear in the United States from New Jersey to Florida, through the Gulf into Texas and north to Kansas and Missouri. Bluegrass billbugs are found in the northern states from New England to Washington. The bluegrass billbug has a coarsely punctuated area behind its head that looks like it is filled with numerous tiny holes. Although the hunting billbug seems to have the same small holes in the area behind its head, it also has a smooth, black, Y-shaped area down the middle. Take a look at the images below to see the difference between the hunting billbug and the bluegrass billbug.
What grasses are affected by billbugs?
Warm season grasses like zoysiagrass and bermudagrass are often affected by the hunting billbug, whereas cool season grasses like fescue, ryegrass and bluegrass can often succumb to bluegrass billbug damage. The hunting billbug can appear in the United States from New Jersey to Florida, through the Gulf into Texas and north to Kansas and Missouri.
How big are billbugs?
Adult billbugs are small (between ¼ –½ inches in length); they are weevils, so you’ll be able to see the distinctive snout or bill at the front end of their head. They can be seen walking around on blades and down at the soil level. Billbug larvae are white or cream colored, legless and brown-headed.
When do billbugs attack grass?
Notice the two spikes in adult populations of billbugs in May and September. This data suggests that larvae were feeding on and causing damage to the grass in the March–April and July–August time periods. Generally speaking, billbug damage is first visible during either or both of these two time periods.
How to kill billbugs in lawn?
Best control for the bluegrass billbug occurs when sprays are applied in early May to kill adult insects prior to egg laying; larval control can be difficult due to the habit of young larvae to tunnel within crowns of plants. Current information on the Rocky Mountain billbug indicates that a slightly later timing, in early to mid-June, is more appropriate for adult control. Apply adult sprays so insecticide residues remain as long as possible on foliage and in the crown area of the plant. Pyrethroid insecticides (bifenthrin, beta-cyhalothrin, cyhalothrin) are particularly good for persisting on turf surfaces. However, none of these will move into soil and cannot control larvae of either billbugs or white grubs. Insecticides recommended for billbug control are summarized in Table 1.
When to control white grubs?
White grubs are best controlled with insecticides when eggs are beginning to hatch. Billbugs are best controlled when adults are present on the surface of the lawn in spring. Insect parasitic nematodes are a biological control option for both white grubs and billbugs.
When do grass grubs feed?
Larvae feed on grass roots through summer and early fall. Peak injury occurs in late summer and early fall but some feeding occurs in spring when larvae return to feed on roots as they complete development. On drought-stressed turf, populations of nine or more grubs per square foot can produce visible injury. Higher grub populations can be tolerated on more vigorously growing turfgrass. Some grub feeding occurs in spring, but favorable growing conditions in spring usually allow grass to outgrow visible damage during that time. When soils cool in autumn and approach 60 o F white grubs move more deeply into the soil where they remain in a dormant condition until soils warm in spring.
How to identify white grubs?
However, on close examination they can be distinguished by looking at the pattern of hairs and folds on the hind end of the abdomen. This is known as the rastral pattern.
How long does neonicotinoid insecticide last?
A neonicotinoid insecticide with long persistence (weeks-months) that consistently has provided good-excellent control of white grubs. Somewhat slow activity (a couple weeks) and should be applied to younger stages.
Can you use insecticide on white grubs?
Since younger stages of grubs are much more effectively controlled than are large, older grubs, insecticides are best used in a ways that allow them to be in high concentration in the root zone at the same time eggs are hatching and young white grubs are present (Table 2).
When do billbugs overwinter?
Billbugs complete one generation each year. Adults usually overwinter in leaf litter and thatch, become active from late April through mid-May when temperatures exceed 65°F, and are frequently noticed walking across driveways and sidewalks.
What is the best way to control billbugs in Kentucky bluegrass?
You can use resistant and/or tolerant Kentucky bluegrass cultivars. A control alternative is using endophyte-enhanced turfgrass seed as part of your management program. (Endophytes are usually beneficial fungi that live between the cell walls of grass plants.) In most instances, fungal endophytes produce alkaloids, which give enhanced resistance to insects and disease. Currently, endophytes occur in tall fescue, fine fescue, and perennial ryegrass seed. Billbugs can be repelled by use of endophyte-enhanced turfgrass cultivars. In some instances, fertilization and irrigation can assist in masking billbug damage. However, if you are developing a sustainable turfgrass management system, fertilizer input may not be favored. Follow all label directions regarding where you use endophyte-enhanced seed since you do not want to negatively impact the health of livestock, which often is referred to as endophyte toxicosis.
How to tell if billbugs are near a plant?
A good indicator that billbug larvae are nearby is the presence of moist, light-brown frass near the crown of the plant. Frass indicates that second-instar larvae have tunneled through stems and have dropped to the thatch to feed and complete the third larval instar.
What is the most common billbug in Pennsylvania?
Several billbug species occur on turf, but the bluegrass billbug is the most common in our state. Home lawn areas in Pennsylvania are often subject to severe and extensive injury) by the larval stages of bluegrass billbug. Billbugs have become a major pest of Kentucky bluegrass maintained on residential lawns; they also attack perennial ryegrass, tall fescue, and fine fescue. Related species, including hunting billbug, Denver billbug (limited to the Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains), and Phoenician billbug (limited to southern California and Arizona) have caused major damage to turfgrasses.
How long does it take for billbugs to hatch?
A white, legless larvae with a brown head capsule hatches from the egg in about 7 to 14 days. Billbugs complete three larval instars with the first and second instars feeding inside the grass stem. The second instar larva continues to grow, eventually breaking out of the stem.
What nematodes are used to kill billbugs?
Insect-parasitic nematodes are available to curatively suppress various billbug species. Two major species available for suppressing billbugs: Steinernema spp. and Heterorhabditis spp. Insect-parasitic nematodes do not have a long shelf life.
How big are billbugs?
1) before darkening. Adults usually are gray to brown to almost black with pitted backs (i.e., pronotum), though dried soil may change the overall color of adult billbugs. Mature third-instar billbug larvae are approximately 1/4 to 3/8 inch long , have a brown head capsule, and are white with no legs present (Fig.2).
Preventing Billbugs Is Easier Than Killing Them
Preventing billbug damage before it takes a toll on your yard is easier than trying to get rid of the infestation and rehabilitate your lawn.
Keep Your Lawn Healthy
Keeping your lawn healthy will help your grass bounce back quickly from feeding damage caused by billbugs. However, it's important to follow a lawn care schedule carefully, especially when it comes to fertilizing and watering your lawn.
Apply a Preventative Insecticide
Preventative insecticide billbug products should be applied before eggs are laid in the spring. May is generally a good time, but contact your local extension office for a more accurate guideline for your area.
