Bill Bugs
Your Professional Billbug Exterminators Along the Wasatch Front
Billbugs are a type of weevil or "snout beetle." Adult weevils can be seen crossing sidewalks and driveways during late summer or spring. In spring and summer, adults cause minor injuries to grasses as the females cut small holes in the stems of plants and insert their eggs.
Understanding the Damage Caused by Billbugs
Billbugs infest lawns, particularly those established with sod. Within lawns, most damage occurs near evergreen shrubbery or other protective sites. Billbug injury appears as wilting and occasional death of grass, often in small scattered patches. Extensive areas of a lawn may be killed during severe infestations.
The young billbug "grubs" are the primary damaging stage. Billbug grubs are legless, generally white or cream, with a brown head. They may reach 1/3 to 1/2 inch long when full-grown. Young grubs feed within the crown area of the plant and kill it. The stems of infested plants are easily detached at the soil surface. The ends appear sawed-off, often with a sawdust-like material present. Older billbug larvae feed in the lower crown and plant root zone. Small piles of light sawdust-like material are produced during feeding. Quick Facts...
- Billbugs and white grubs are insects that damage turf grasses by feeding on the roots.
- Heavy infestations of billbugs and white grubs may kill grass or attract small animals that damage grass when feeding on grubs.
- Healthy lawns tolerate injury better than lawns in poor condition.
- Time insecticide applications for when billbug adults are present.
- White grubs are best controlled when a maximum number of young grubs are present in the upper root zone.
- Billbugs and white grubs are serious pests of turfgrass and can be found throughout Utah. Both groups of insects feed below ground and damage roots or the growing crown area of the plant.
Effective Billbug Control Strategies
Some common varieties tend to be more resistant to insecticides. Controlling billbugs with insecticides is difficult when they are in the larval (grub) stage. Young larvae are protected within the plant. Older larvae occur in the root zone where insecticides fail to penetrate. Apex Pest and Lawn uses different techniques to control the infestation to your lawn and plants. It’s best if we spray in early May to kill adult insects prior to egg laying. Current information on the Denver billbug indicates that a slightly later timing, in early June, is more appropriate. Apply adult sprays so insecticide residues remain as long as possible on foliage and in the crown area of the plant. This may be achieved better with liquid sprays than with granular formulations.
Warranty & Satisfaction Guarantee
This service comes with a two month warranty from the initial service date.
We also guarantee your complete satisfaction. If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with your service, we will correct it free of charge. That’s our promise to do everything we can to make your home insect, pest and rodent free.
Detering Future Billbug Infestations
Pest problems can be difficult to prevent on your own. Many of our clients choose to go with our Extended Service Plan for greater money savings and continued protection; this will cut down on the probability of insects and pests greatly.
Contact Apex Pest and Lawn Today!
Call Apex Pest and Lawn and we will be happy to come out and solve your pest problem. Call our office today at 385-325-3593.