Fire ant stings are very painful and can lead to infection and allergic reactions. Fireants damage lawn areas by making mounds of soil in the grass that smothers and kill the roots.
Chinch Bugs:
These bugs inject toxins into grass while extracting the juices from it. They thrive in sunny areas. Brown spots in the lawn with a surrounding light yellowish area indicate their presence. Lush St. Augustine grass is especially attractive to chinch bugs.
Grubs:
Grubs inflict severe damage to a lawn by devouring or severing its
grass roots. They are the "C" shaped larvae of beetles. They feed
on the fibrous root system of turf during spring and fall months. Moles
and other small animals will also cause damage by foraging for grubs in
your lawn.
Mole Crickets:
The 1½ inch mole crickets can cause extensive damage to lawns. They
are found throughout the state of Florida and are frequently seen swarming
around security lighting and streetlights. They feed on roots and tunnel
just beneath the soil surface.
Army Worms:
Army worms feed in large groups, cutting off parts of grass blades leaving
damaged tips, which may appear transparent. They are a common sight after
cool wet weather.
Sod Web Worms:
The sod web worm does its damage at night any time between spring and fall,
but all year round in Florida. Damaged lawns will have irregular patches
of chewed or notched grass blades. Silk webbing seen in the morning dew
and moths swarming above the turf surface are signs of an infestation.
