12) ee ee ASSOCIA TEDISEED GROW Estee 
SOME INSECT PESTS 
WHITE GRUBS: Grubs of various species cause damage to turf by feeding on the 
roots of grass plants, usually about an inch below the soil surface, though if the 
upper layer be dry they will burrow downward until they reach a satisfactory degree 
of moisture. Of white grubs, larvae of the Japanese beetle and Asiatic beetles are 
considered the most destructive. 
Control: Hitherto the most effective treatment for the eradication of white grubs 
has been the application of lead arsenate at the rate of ten pounds per 1,000 square 
feet, or five pounds where the infestation is light. This chemical is effective but is 
very poisonous and seems likely, therefore, to be superseded by some of the more 
recently introduced insecticides, such as DDT, which are less dangerous and less 
expensive. Recommendations on the use of such preparations are given on their 
containers or are available from State Agricultural Experiment Stations. 
CHINCH BUGS 
The chinch bug is a sucking insect, about one-eighth of an inch long, which injures 
the grass by puncturing the stems and sucking the plant juices. When the chinch 
bugs are numerous the grass is killed, leaving only clover and weeds which are not 
attacked by the bugs. The bugs can be easily discovered by parting the grass and 
examining the crowns of the grass where they mostly feed. 
Control: Since the chinch bug is a sucking insect it is necessary to use a contact 
poison. The following treatments have been effective: 
DDT: This new insecticide shows considerable promise when used as a surface 
dust in accordance with recommendations of the manufacturer. 
Nicotine Dust: Three to four per cent actual nicotine applied at six to ten 
pounds per 1,000 square feet. Brush in soon after application. Apply during 
the warm part of the day. 
Derris Dust (Rotenone): Apply 25 pounds to 1,000 square feet, during warm 
part of the day. Brush in soon after application. 
Nicotine Soap Spray: One quart of nicotine sulphate and one gallon of liquid 
potassium oleate soap in 100 gallons of water. Spray at the rate of 150 gallons 
per 1,000 square feet. May cause some injury to grass and is more costly 
than the other methods. 
Sabadilla dust, made from ground up seeds of the Sabadilla plant, has given over 
95 per cent reduction to chinch bugs in recent tests when applied at the rate 
of 2-3 pounds of 10 per cent Sabadilla per 1,000 square feet on bent grass lawns. 
Time of application: There are two generations of chinch bugs a year. The first 
hatches during May and June, the second in late July and August. Injury is therefore 
most severe in July and again in September when the bugs of each generation are 
reaching maturity and feeding most heavily. Depending on locality and season, treat- 
ments should be made June 1st to June 15th for the first brood and August Ist to 
August 15th for the second brood. 
Chinch bugs are more injurious on bent grass turf than on fescue and bluegrass. 
SOD WEBWORMS 
Sod webworms are the young or larvae of several species of small grayish or brownish 
moths, frequently observed flying about over turf grass, particularly during the early 
evening. These moths drop their eggs at random during flight. The young worms 
hatch from the eggs in a week or ten days and feed for a time on tender grass blades. 
As they grow larger they work down into the crowns of the grass and build, on or 
just beneath the surface of the soil, silk-lined tunnels or burrows covered with bits 
of earth. Sod webworm injury first appears as small brown areas in the grass. As 
