SOD WEBWORMS

Problem:  From mid May to October, in the hottest and driest areas of the lawn, the grass turns brown in patches the size of a saucer.  These areas may expand to form large irregular patches.  Grass blades are chewed off at the soil level.  Silky white tubes nestle in the root area.  Inside are light brown or gray worms, from ¼ to ¾ inch long, with black spots.  White or gray moths fly in a zigzag pattern over the lawn in the evening.  When a moth lands, it folds its wings along the body, rather than letting them spread like most moths.

ANALYSIS: Several different moths with similar habits are called sod webworms, or lawn moths.  These night fling moths are the adults of this pest.  The female moths drop eggs into the grass as they fly.  The eggs hatch into worms that feed on grass blades at night or on cloudy, rainy days.  In the daytime the worm hides in white silky tubes in the soil.  Sod webworms can kill an entire lawn in a few days.