Lesson 16: Those Pesky Animals

Situation

At first glance, you suspected a disease. The random pattern of dead spots in the turf suggested leaf spot, or perhaps dollar spot. Upon closer examination, however, you could find no distinct disease symptoms, just dead grass. At the edges of the dead spots, some of the still green shoots appeared to have been clipped off at a height of about 1/4 inch, so that only the lower portion of the sheath remained. As you picked at the debris in the center of the dead spot, a small mass of green material -- frass -- was uncovered . This suggested the cause of the damage was not a disease, but an insect! Then, a discovery. A tan-colored catterpillar about 3/4-inch long lay at the center of the spot, hidden in the thatchy residue. The caterpillar was inactive, as if resting up for a big feed to begin later in the day or evening. Confirmation! The pests responsible for the spotty damage pervading the turf was a small population of caterpillars, called sod webworms.

As you reflect on this experience, consider the following questions:

• In what ways do insects with simple versus complete metamorphoses differ?
• What are some examples of insects with chewing versus sucking mouthparts?
• Based on their respective feeding locations, what are the different insect catagories?
• Why is it that most insect-induced turf damage occurs primarily during the summer?

What to do...

In this lesson you will review information on Insect Control.

In this lesson you will review information on Taxonomy. When you are finished going through the lesson, access the Lesson 16 Quiz. You can take the quiz up to 5 times. Practice! The questions are just like those you will find on the exams.