Cutworms & Grubs

We are quite pleased with the current condition of our greens.  They are still recovering very well from the anthracnose.  Other pests have been causing us some grief this year too.  Insect populations have skyrocketed this season past our thresholds to levels that are resulting in turf injury.  The most significant damage thus far has been on the back right of #5 green and the right side of #8 green.  Many tees are also suffering from insect damage.

The particular insects we are currently dealing with are cutworms and beetle grubs.  Cutworms are the larvae, or caterpillar stage, of more than 200 species of moths.  They typically live in the thatch of our turf and emerge at night to feed on the shoots (leaves) of the grass plants and then burrow back down below the surface during the day.  The damage from their feeding often resembles that of a ball mark.  The insecticide applications we have made must be watered in to reach the cutworms.  We have made a couple of control applications and are achieving great results from them.  

cutworm

typical cutworm damage

Grubs are the larvae stage of beetles.  Grub damage can be much more severe than that of cutworms.  They feed solely on the root systems of turf resulting in the death of the grass plants.  Damage also occurs from birds digging up turf searching for grubs to feed upon.  Controlling grubs can be fairly difficult and is often quite expensive.  We have applied our control products and like with the cutworms, we are achieving great results.

white grub

typical grub damage

Cutworms and grubs do not discriminate on what turf they invade.  We have found them throughout the greens, tees, fairways and rough.  We will continue to restore the damaged areas with additional soil, seed and fertilizer to promote recovery.  We will also continue to monitor our pest levels and apply control products as necessary.