Q&A – My lawn was attacked by billbugs. What are they?
Question:
This spring my lawn was the feeding plate for bill bugs. At first I thought it had not gotten warm enough for my zoysia grass to completely fill in. Boy was I wrong. I was told by my lawn service that I had bill bug infestation. They said it was a problem in Memphis this year. I had my lawn treated but wanted to know if you had more information about billbugs. There seems to be no rhyme or reason in how they attacked some parts of my grass but not others, or why my neighbor, who has Bermuda grass, did not get the infestation too.
Answer:
Billbugs are becoming more of a problem in Memphis. Billbugs feed mainly on zoysia lawns and the damage appears in the spring. Billbugs hollow out the roots and stems of zoysia causing the blades to die. UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison gives several insecticides that can be applied to control them. If you have damage the lawn will recover later in the year.
Related Videos:
Systemic Insecticides
Is October too late to apply nitrogen fertilizer to my zoysia lawn?
Related Resources
Billbugs in Home Lawns
Billbug
This spring my lawn was the feeding plate for bill bugs. At first I thought it had not gotten warm enough for my zoysia grass to completely fill in. Boy was I wrong. I was told by my lawn service that I had bill bug infestation. They said it was a problem in Memphis this year. I had my lawn treated but wanted to know if you had more information about billbugs. There seems to be no rhyme or reason in how they attacked some parts of my grass but not others, or why my neighbor, who has Bermuda grass, did not get the infestation too.
Answer:
Billbugs are becoming more of a problem in Memphis. Billbugs feed mainly on zoysia lawns and the damage appears in the spring. Billbugs hollow out the roots and stems of zoysia causing the blades to die. UT Extension Agent Mike Dennison gives several insecticides that can be applied to control them. If you have damage the lawn will recover later in the year.
Related Videos:
Systemic Insecticides
Is October too late to apply nitrogen fertilizer to my zoysia lawn?
Related Resources
Billbugs in Home Lawns
Billbug