VerdaKai
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Pest

Tropical sod webworm

Herpetogramma phaeopteralis

Quick reference

Pest class
insect
Host breadth
specialist
Seasonal pattern
Late summer and fall (August-November)
Treatment hint
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) for larvae; spinosad; pyrethroid for severe outbreaks. Mow before applying so chemicals reach thatch.
Source
uf_ifas_v1

ID features

Brown moths fly at dusk (5-15mm wingspan); larvae are green with dark spots, found in thatch during day.

Damage pattern

Notched/chewed grass blades; thinning turf; brown patches in St. Augustine and Bermuda. Damage often looks like dry stress initially.

Hosts

No hosts wired up yet.

Treatments