Lawn Insect Identifier Tool

With warm temperatures and blooming flowers comes pesky insects. Some of them even have the potential to ruin your beloved turfgrass. It can be difficult to come up with an effective prevention and treatment plan if you don't know which insect you need to control. Use our Lawn Insect Identification Tool to identify which kind of insect you may be dealing with and get recommended solutions. Start by answering the questions below. The Lawn Insect Identifier Tool does not serve as a professional diagnosis. It is used to make recommendations and provide general identification tips. Please collect and submit a sample to your local extension office for professional diagnosis.

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Grass Type*

ZoysiaSt. AugustineBermuda GrassCentipede GrassBluegrassFescueOtherI don't know

Choose all grasses that apply. To choose more than one, hold down Ctrl + Click (PC) or Cmd + Click (Mac)

What active growing season is it currently?*

SpringSummerFall

Choose all grasses that apply. To choose more than one, hold down Ctrl + Click (PC) or Cmd + Click (Mac)

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Mole Crickets Question

Do you notice small, finger-sized mounds or tunnels in your lawn? Do you notice little holes at the surface of your soil?*

Yes

No

If any of these apply, choose yes.

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Grub Worms Question

Does the lawn feel spongey when you walk on it? Does the grass lift up easily like a piece of carpet?*

Yes

No

If any of these apply, choose yes.

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Billbugs Question

Do you notice punctured holes in the leaf blades of your grass? Does your grass look brown or like it's been damaged by drought?*

Yes

No

Select yes or no.

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Spittlebugs Question

Are there small little spots of a white frothy substance in your lawn? Do you notice insects hopping through the lawn when you walk through it?*

Yes

No

If any of these apply, choose yes.

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Sod Webworms & Fall Armyworms Question

Do the grass blades in certain areas look skeletonized, leaving a windowpane-looking appearance in the grass blades? Have you noticed caterpillars in your lawn?*

Yes

No

If any of these apply, choose yes.

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Fall Armyworms Question

Do you see any caterpillars that look like this?*

Yes

No

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Sod Webworms Question

Do you see any caterpillars that look like this?

Do you see any caterpillars that look like this?*

Yes

No

Select yes or no.

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Chinch Bugs Question

Did the damage in your grass start as irregular shaped yellow spots that continued to expand? Does it look similar to drought damage?*

Yes

No

If any of these apply, choose yes.

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Here are Your Results

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Add your email and click submit on the last page to receive an email with your answers and results.

You may have grub worms, also known as white grubs.

Grub worms are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June beetles and other scarab beetle species that feed on the leaves of plants. As grubs, they devour the roots of your grass. Overtime, they can cause significant damage. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

Grub Worm Control
5 Tips for Controlling Japanese Beetles

Suggested Products:

Scotts GrubEx
Dylox 6.2

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You may have mole crickets.

Mole crickets are a common turfgrass pest that cause significant damage to home and commercial lawns by feeding mainly on turfgrass roots and shoots and by tunneling just beneath the soil’s surface of your lawn. They all share similar and distinct large, front claws that are used for digging. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

What is a Mole Cricket and How to Control Them

Suggested Products:

Merit 0.5 G
Bifen XTS

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You may have billbugs.

You may have bluegrass or hunting billbugs. Bluegrass billbugs, as their name suggests, feed on bluegrass and other cool season grasses like fescues. Hunting billbugs enjoy zoysia, bermuda grass, bahia grass and centipede grass. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

What is a Billbug and How to Control Them

Suggested Products:

Merit 0.5 G
Bifen XTS

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You may have spittlebugs.

You may have spittlebugs, often referred to as froghoppers. Although they typically prefer centipede grass over any other grass type, they can still be found in other grasses. Their nymphs form spittle as a protective layer from predators. As adults, they leave the spittle and hop around in the grass. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

What is a Spittlebug and How to Control Them

Suggested Products:

Spectracide Triazicide
Bifen XTS

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You may have chinch bugs.

Chinch bugs are little tiny black insects commonly found in lawns and gardens throughout North America. There are several different types of chinch bugs including the common chinch bug, the hairy chinch bug, the southern chinch bug and the western chinch bug. Chinch bugs can be spotted in other grass types like centipede grass, but they tend to love St. Augustine grass the most. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

How to Manage a Chinch Bug Infestation

Suggested Products:

Bifen L/P
Bifen XTS

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You may have sod webworms.

The sod webworm, sometimes called the tropical sod webworm is a lawn caterpillar that will invade your lawn usually around the months of May–July and will reappear in the fall. These are not to be confused with the fall armyworm or black cutworm. Full grown caterpillars are 3/4 to an inch in length and have four parallel rows of dark spots along their abdomen. They are solitary and move around individually. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

Sod Webworms in Home Lawns

Suggested Products:

Dylox 6.2
Bifen XTS

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You may have fall armyworms

The fall armyworm got its name by traveling in small “armies” and eating everything in its path. They are either green or a muddy brown with a wide, horizontal black stripe running down each of their sides. They are around 1–1.5 inches in length and have a lightly colored upside-down “Y” that marks the head of the worm. Read product labels thoroughly before making applications to your lawn and garden.

Suggested Article(s):

Invasion of the Fall Armyworms

Suggested Products:

Spectracide Triazicide
Bifen L/P

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If you chose "No" to all:

If you chose 'No' to all questions and no results were provided, please refer to our Insect Identification Guide.

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