How to Prevent the Top 10 Lawn Pests and Diseases

Learn how to identify and prevent the top pests and diseases that may be harming your lawn.

Filed under: Lawn Care, Garden Pest

7. Fairy Rings

These often appear as irregular dead circles in the lawn or as a ring of toadstools. Effective chemical controls are only available to professionals, so the only possible solution, which is not always feasible, is to dig out the affected area to a depth of 12 inches (30 cm) and replace it with healthy topsoil before seeding or turfing the surface.

8. Leatherjackets

These are the larval stage of crane flies, or daddy longlegs, and cause yellow or brown patches on the lawn surface as they eat through the roots below. To make it worse, birds may tear up the lawn as they attempt to dig down and feed on the larvae. To control, cover the lawn with plastic to draw the larvae to the surface, and then allow the birds to feed on them.

Leatherjacket Larvae Can Attack Healthy Lawn

9. Moles

The underground tunneling of moles as they search for worms and grubs leads to the creation of mole hills when the soil is deposited on the surface of the lawn. This makes mowing difficult, creates bare soil for weeds to germinate in, and destabilizes the lawn. Placing mole traps in the tunnels is the only effective method of control.