Lawn pest control in Tampa
A yellow patch in a Tampa lawn can be drought, fungus or an insect eating the grass from below, and treating the wrong one wastes a season. Identifying what's actually in the turf comes first.
Signs of lawn pests
- Yellow then brown patches that spread despite watering, especially along driveways and sidewalks
- Grass blades chewed ragged overnight, with small tan moths flying up when you walk
- Spongy turf that lifts like carpet, or tunnels you can feel underfoot
- Birds, armadillos or raccoons tearing up the lawn at night
- Fire ant mounds popping up after rain
- A lawn that thinned out after a hot, dry stretch
Lawn pest services
Diagnosis
Checking the thatch, root zone and soil for the insects causing the damage, and ruling out fungus and irrigation problems.
Chinch bug treatment
Targeted applications to the hot, dry edges where chinch bugs kill St. Augustine grass first.
Caterpillar control
Treating sod webworms and armyworms when they're actively feeding, before they strip the lawn.
Mole cricket and grub control
Soil treatments timed for the life stage that's doing the damage.
Fire ant program
Broadcast bait across the lawn with mound treatments as needed. See ant control.
What affects the price
- Square footage of turf.
- Which pest and how far the damage has spread.
- One-time treatment versus a seasonal program.
- Whether fire ant control is included.
You get the treatment plan and the price in writing before anything is applied.
Lawn pests in Tampa Bay
Most Tampa lawns are St. Augustine grass, and the southern chinch bug is its main enemy. Chinch bugs thrive in the hottest, driest spots, so damage shows up first along pavement and in full sun, usually from late spring through fall. Tropical sod webworms arrive in late summer and can chew a lawn down in a week. Mole crickets tunnel through sandy soil and are the reason armadillos dig up Tampa lawns at night. Florida's fertilizer rules also restrict what can go on a lawn during the summer rainy season in many local jurisdictions, so a licensed applicator matters for the fertilizer side as much as the pest side.
Common questions
How do I know if it's chinch bugs or drought?
Drought stress greens back up a day or two after watering. Chinch bug damage keeps spreading no matter how much you water. Parting the grass at the edge of a patch often shows the bugs themselves.
Why are armadillos digging up my yard?
They're after mole crickets and grubs. Treating the insects removes the food source, which usually ends the digging.
Can the lawn recover?
St. Augustine spreads by runners and fills in if the damage is caught early. Large dead areas need sod.
Do you fertilize too?
Ask when you call. Lawn pest control and fertilization are separate services, and the summer fertilizer restrictions apply in much of Tampa Bay.
Related services
Areas we serve
Lawn pest control across Tampa and these nearby communities: