| With the cool weather of the fall season, | | | | Fortunately as a fall lawn and garden pest |
| most lawn and garden pests and diseases begin | | | | they do not do as much damage as they do in |
| to dwindle away. Yet, there are a few lawn | | | | the spring, but they can still be a concern |
| and garden pests that thrive off of the cool | | | | for some climate zones, especially those that |
| temperatures of the fall season. | | | | stay above freezing well into November. |
| One | | | | |
| good point about fall lawn and garden pests | | | | Keep in mind that grubworms will usually |
| is that they will not have the chance to last | | | | survive over the winter and turn into adult |
| as long as spring and summer pests because | | | | beetles, repeating the entire life cycle in |
| the freezing temperatures of winter will kill | | | | the spring, and this is why grubworms can be |
| them off long before they do a tremendous | | | | such a problem for all seasons. |
| amount of damage. | | | | |
| | | | Most of the time, they will hatch in the late |
| Still, though, if these fall lawn and garden | | | | summer and begin feeding on lawn and garden |
| pests have been at it all summer long, they | | | | roots in the fall. This is when gardeners |
| may stick around through the fall and wreak | | | | will notice patches of dead grass or grass |
| havoc on the remaining lawn and garden | | | | that is squishy or can easily be pulled up |
| perennials, bulbs and trees. | | | | since the roots are missing. |
| | | | |
| Fall Armyworms | | | | If at all possible, apply grubworm control in |
| | | | the mid to late summer, something with the |
| The most beautiful part about the fall season | | | | active ingredient imidacloprid, which is a |
| is the different colors of foliage that will | | | | chloro-nicotinyl compound. This will kill the |
| begin to appear in September and October. | | | | larvae before they get a chance to hatch in |
| Unfortunately, Fall Armyworms love to prey on | | | | the late summer and will keep the life cycle |
| this beautiful foliage during the fall | | | | from perpetuating. |
| months, as their name suggests, and can do | | | | |
| damage very rapidly. | | | | Sod Webworms |
| | | | |
| They usually appear in September and will | | | | Similar to the grubworms, sod webworms have a |
| stick around until the first big frost. The | | | | year long life cycle that means they can |
| major problem with this fall lawn and garden | | | | become fall lawn and garden pests as well as |
| pest is that they almost always feed at | | | | being bothersome during the spring and |
| night, making it hard to identify the problem | | | | summer. Instead of arriving in the form of |
| until you wake in the morning to leaves that | | | | beetles, the sod webworms come from adult |
| have been chewed around the edges. | | | | moths that usually begin laying eggs in the |
| | | | spring. |
| The upside to Fall Armyworms as a fall lawn | | | | |
| and garden pest is that they are usually easy | | | | The difference is that their eggs hatch |
| to spot, as they are a large tan to dark | | | | fairly quickly but the webworms are so small |
| brown colored worm with a large stripe either | | | | that their infestation may go undetected |
| brown or red in color on each side. | | | | until they cocoon and reemerge as moths in |
| Fall | | | | the late summer to produce another generation |
| Armyworms often like to make themselves | | | | that is more destructive. This is why you may |
| present in cornfields in the early fall | | | | see sod webworm problems in the fall months. |
| months and can cause major damage to the | | | | |
| remaining corn crops. For those farmers and | | | | While it is helpful to use preventive sod |
| gardeners who are aware of Fall Armyworms, a | | | | webworm control through Microbial pesticides, |
| pretreatment of pesticides will usually kill | | | | the problem is that many of these pesticides |
| the larvae that are preparing to hatch. | | | | will not only kill the moths of sod webworms, |
| Unfortunately, the pretreatment needs to be | | | | they may also kill butterflies and even |
| established by late July or August to prevent | | | | non-pest moths. |
| damage in September. | | | | |
| | | | The best method of prevention is to simply |
| Grubworms | | | | clean up leaves, grass clippings, mulch and |
| | | | plant debris in the fall months to keep the |
| Grubworms like the cool weather season and | | | | webworms from making webs in these places and |
| feed more in the spring and fall months. | | | | producing more larvae. |