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GreenBee Lawn CareFamily-Owned Houston Lawn Care
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Found before your lawn shows it.

Chinch bugs, sod webworms, armyworms and grubs do their damage out of sight. We look for them at every visit and treat before the brown spots spread.

Get your free quote(832) 678-5900

A Houston lawn’s field guide

Common St. Augustine pests

  • A southern chinch bug seen from above: a small black bug with white wings folded flat over its back, on a gray and white surface.

    Southern chinch bug

    Blissus insularis

    Adult 3–3.6 mm

    When
    Summer, starting in sunny, dry spots and along the lawn’s edges.
    Signs
    Yellowing patches that spread outward and die in the middle. Easy to mistake for drought.
  • A tropical sod webworm moth at rest on a pale wall, its brown wings held flat in a triangle.

    Tropical sod webworm

    Herpetogramma phaeopteralis

    Wingspan about 20 mm

    When
    Mid to late summer into fall. Larvae feed at night; the moths flutter up as you walk the lawn.
    Signs
    Notched blades, grass that looks mowed too short, bright green droppings, then thin, brown patches.
    Explore sod webworms beneath the canopy
  • A fall armyworm caterpillar, gray-brown with faint stripes and a brown head, on a green mat.

    Fall armyworm

    Spodoptera frugiperda

    Larva to 1½ in

    When
    Late summer into early fall, often just after rain.
    Signs
    See-through blade tips, then leaves stripped away and brown patches within days.

  • White grubs

    Phyllophaga crinita, Cyclocephala lurida

    Larva to 1 in

    When
    Mid-summer to early fall, when the grubs are biggest. They stay in the top few inches of soil.
    Signs
    Brown patches that lift like a carpet, with few roots and creamy white, C-shaped grubs underneath. Skunks, raccoons or armadillos digging.

Photos, cropped and resized: southern chinch bug, Leila Dasher, iNaturalist observation 141076230 (Athens, Georgia), CC BY 4.0; tropical sod webworm moth, Donald Hobern, via Wikimedia Commons (Gainesville, Florida), CC BY 2.0; fall armyworm, iNaturalist observation 234146403 (Grand Prairie, Texas), CC0.

Facts: UF/IFAS Extension on the sod webworm (moth size) and chinch bug; University of Georgia Extension on the chinch bug and fall armyworm; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension on chinch bugs, sod webworms, armyworms (in lawns) and white grubs (in Texas turf).

Common questions

How much does insect control cost?
Nothing extra with Lawn Care: the program includes insect treatments whenever your lawn needs them. Without a plan, a one-time treatment is about $60–140, depending on the insect and the size of your lawn. Your quote gives the exact price.
Is there a plan just for sod webworms?
Yes. Sod Webworm Treat & Protect is two applications a year, one in spring and one in fall.
How can I tell if insects are the problem?
Look where the yellow grass meets the green. Part the grass there and look down at the soil for chinch bugs. For caterpillars, pour a gallon of water with a tablespoon of dish soap over the spot: sod webworms and armyworms crawl up to the surface. For grubs, lift a small square of sod. If it comes up easily, with few roots, look for C-shaped white grubs.
What should I do if I see armyworms?
Call or text us the same day. They feed fast, and finding them early matters most.
How soon will I see results?
Give a treatment 10 to 14 days to show its full results. Grass the insects already killed has to grow back in, which takes longer.
What if the insects come back between visits?
On Lawn Care or Sod Webworm Treat & Protect, call or text us. We come back and treat the affected area at no charge.
Can I mow after a treatment?
Mow before we come, or wait 24 to 48 hours after. The note we leave after each visit covers anything else.
When can people and pets go back on the lawn?
Each product’s label sets how long people and pets should stay off a treated area, and we follow it. Your technician will tell you what that means for your treatment.

Found something in the grass?

Tell us what you’re seeing, and we’ll quote the treatment.

Get your free quoteCall (832) 678-5900
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