There are few things as calming as staring out over your lawn. If you live near the woods like me, you likely have plenty of critters there too. And, honestly, I enjoy most of those critters. I like to throw some squirrels a few almonds, and I like watching the bees and butterflies stop by my flower beds. But you will come across bad bugs sometimes as well. Today, we’ll be discussing Tampa billbugs, a lawn destroying pest.
Tampa Billbugs: What Are They?
The billbug is a troublesome lawn pest that damages grass as both adults and larvae. Adult billbugs chew holes into grass blades and deposit eggs inside. When larvae hatch, they eat grass from the inside out and continue eating from the roots to the tips. By the time homeowners see the results, large areas of the lawn may already be lost.
You can identify Tampa billbugs by their long, curved, bill-like snout. Billbugs are a type of weevil, and mature billbugs are roughly half an inch in length. Depending on the species, their hard shells range in color from clay-brown to near black; all have an unusual pitted texture. Billbug larvae are white with reddish-brown heads and look very similar to white grubs, another common lawn pest. However, billbug larvae do not have legs; white grubs do.
There are a few signs of billbug damage that you can pick out. Grass begins to turn brown in early summer, but it’s easily mistaken for drought damage, fungal disease or grass dormancy. Test your lawn by pulling on an affected area. Billbug-damaged grass breaks off at the soil line and is usually accompanied by lots of powdery sawdust-like excrement. Dig or pull apart grass to inspect the roots and crown, and the legless larvae are easily seen.
What Can You Do?
Effective billbug treatment will be difficult for the layman. You’ll probably need to contact your local pest control specialist, and they’ll have to take a multi-pronged approach to get their numbers down. They’ll have to target adults in early spring before they lay their eggs and treat newly hatched larvae before they can damage lawns extensively. Late-season treatments target larvae and adults, which may overwinter in thatch and leaf debris.
