Insects-Home Lawns
Many different insect pests are found in home lawns in Mississippi. These include insects such as chinch bugs and white grubs that directly attack and damage turf grass, pests such as slugs and millipedes that can become a nuisance when they occur in high numbers, and pests such as fire ants, wasps, and ticks that directly attack people using the lawn.
Publication 2331, Control of Insect Pests in and around the Home Lawn, provides information on identification, management, and control of most of the insect pests encountered in Mississippi lawns.
For more detailed information on fire ants see Publication 2429, Control Fire Ants in Your Yard.
For information on controlling insects in sports turf, golf courses or other commercial turf situations see Publication 1858, Insect Control in Commercial Turf.
More Information:
Two-lined Spittlebugs, Bug-Wise Newsletter No. 11, 2005
Controlling Ticks on Pets and in the Lawn, Bug-Wise Newsletter, No. 13, 2005
Zoysiagrass Mites, Bug-Wise Newsletter, No. 19, 2004 (page 2)
Fire Ants in Home Lawns, Bug-Wise Newsletter, No. 6, 2011
Fall Armyworms in Home Lawns, Athletic Fields, and Other Places, Bug-Wise Newsletter No. 9, 2010
Paper Wasps, Bug-Wise Newsletter No. 7, 2012
Publications
News
The light is created by a chemical reaction that occurs (Photo from Canva Pro)
During summer nights, something magical happens. Tiny insects light up the night sky, making summertime just a bit more special than it already is.
Fall armyworms can be different colors and range from light green to almost black. Photo by Blake Layton
If you’re a homeowner who loves your bermudagrass lawn, be on the lookout for fall armyworms. These caterpillars can eat voraciously, devouring yards within just a day or two. These pests show up every year from late summer to early fall, and you never know exactly when or how many there will be.