Sod worms are also known as lawn moths. This name comes from the fact that these worms change into moths over time and they feed off the grass blades in yards, golf courses and in some areas of turfgrass. In the larval stage these worms are dingy white in colour. As adults they fly around the lawn planted their seeds and feeding off the grass at night. However it is not really the moths that damage the grass. It is the larvae that do the most damage. The larvae feed off the grass at night and leave an area of the lawn bare. During the spring and summer months the larvae turn into moths that drop their eggs and the cycle continues again.



The damage caused by lawn moths can be clearly seen in the grass. An infected are of grass will appear to be brown in appearance and it will have an irregular shape. If you closely examine the grass you can see small tunnels or lines that branch out around the browned area. In the damaged area, the blades of grass have been removed completely and the area appears to be scalped. There are other indicators that there may be an infestation of lawn moths and that is the presence of the small green fecal pellets.

Treatment for the sod worm starts with how well you monitor the amount of damage that has been inflicted upon your lawn. If you notice that you are getting small brown patches but nothing too big, then you might want to try using a simple home remedy of laundry detergent mixed with water. However, if you have tried the home remedy and you find that you are not able to contain the worm then you might want to consider getting a chemical product from your local gardening store. If you are unsure what to do about your problem then you might want to contact a lawn care expert in your area to find out what you can do to prevent the increase in damaged areas in your lawn. There are a number of chemical products on the market today but if you plan to use one of these then you need to make sure that you are able to use them on your grass.

Lawn moths are more prevalent in grasses like bluegrass and Zoysia. The problem with using chemicals on your grass to kill your worm infestation is that you might be killing insects and pests that are actually beneficial to your grass and then there is the possibility that you might end up killing your grass anyway. Be sure to read information on the product to find out what insects that it will kill. There are also a number of biological controls that are capable of killing the sod worm so you might want to consider exploring that avenue if you are unsure about using chemical products.

Proper lawn maintenance will help you discover the presence of these worms right away so that you can take steps immediately before too much of your grass gets destroyed.