Common Insects and Weeds

Black Beetle:

• A common beetle that eats the roots of grass and other plants in summer to mid Autumn.
• Symptoms are: the grass starts to die in patches for no apparent reason or the lawn has damaged root system and looks brown and discolored.

• These caterpillars are brown, greenish brown, or black sometimes with striped to triangular markings along the body, they feed on the lawns in large groups.
• If you see moths hanging around your lawn, there is a good chance they are laying the Army worm egg.
• Symptoms are: the leaf of the lawn gets eaten down to the root system, this generally happens over night.
• Most commonly to happen in the warmer months, Summer through to early Autumn.

• This is a lawn weed that spreads a strong wirey root system and small nut that forms from the roots; it is a perennial weed with tall stringy grass like leaf.
• It thrives on waterlogged soil or where poor drainage is situated.

Clover:

• This is a common problem in lawns, especially during Winter and early Spring.
• Kikuyu and Couch varieties are a higher risk to clover as they less like to moisture and damp areas.