In Minnesota in 2009, 100 cases of cottony grass scale, Eriopeltis festucae, were found in Minnesota lawns. However, the outbreak was not apparent the next year. In September the white, wooly mass of overwintering eggs and larvae can be seen on the grass. The grass also developed a checker board pattern. Rolling the lawn with a sod roller stopped the checkerboard pattern, presumably the scales were killed. The outbreaks occurred in high nitrogen and irrigated turf, especially Kentucky bluegrass. There were no clear management strategies that reduced the scale numbers, except rolling. The checkerboard patterns disappeared the fall. No insecticides were necessary. The scale had been found in the 1930’s in turf grass in Maine and can be common in Iowa.
Cadavers of burrowing sodwebworm Acrolophus popeanellus (Pyralidae, Lepidoptera)
Adult sod webworm, UKentucky, Dan Potter
Burrowing sod Burrowing sod webworm silk cadavers webworm silk of caterpillars, UKentucky, Dan Potter cadavers of caterpillars pulled from turf by birds, UKentucky, Dan Potter Burrowing native sodwebworm, Acrolophus popeanellus, is found in turf. The damage it causes is similar to that caused by other sod webworms in that the larva feeds on grass blades at night, causing indistinct brownish turf areas due to thatch showing. Subsequent irrigation usually restores the turfs health. These cadavers were photographed July 10 2017 in Missourri. Most sod webworm larvae create horizontal silk-lined tunnels in the thatch where they hide during the day. Burrowing sod webworm constructs a vertical tunnel. When the larvae are reaching maturity, they construct very thick, white tunnel linings. Birds commonly feed on the larvae at this time, and in the process of pulling the larvae out, they also pull out this thick burrow lining. The birds eat the caterpillars but leave the burrow lining on the turf surface. This white lining is about 2 inches long by 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide. From a distance, they look like cigarette butts scattered all over the lawn.
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