Grey Squirrel advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A rodent which can cause minor but unsightly damage to a lawn when they both bury and uncover any buried food. Small holes in a lawn are excavated by a squirrel, often leaving displaced turf at the side of the hole.

  Grub advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

The common name for an insect larva. Leatherjackets and chafers are common grubs of turf in the UK. The plural is larvae.

  Infestation advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A large number of pests in a locality, which is generally within a turfgrass surface where it might be grubs or even earthworms, or on and above the surface where it might be birds who may be looking for a food source from within a sward. What constitutes an infestation will depend on the situation, but if a threshold number of pests has been set as part of an Integrated Pest Management plan, then any number above the threshold might (or might not if the number is small) be considered an infestation.

  Integrated Pest Management: Limitations advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

Limitations, as well as disadvantages, of IPM can include: • A misunderstanding, or lack of knowledge, of the concept and how it needs to be actively applied and managed. • The time and related costs needed for planning and implementing the system, including what to include, i.e. the specific pests, diseases, weeds, and gaining agreement from stakeholders on what is an acceptable or even appropriate threshold for each organism. • There can still be a primary, even sub-conscious, focus or bias on pesticide control, treating other potential control methods more as supporting controls. The out

Continue reading about this

  Leatherjacket advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

The grub of the crane fly, or daddy longlegs. Leatherjackets are the second most common pest of turf after earthworms and can cause anything from minor to very serious damage.

Continue reading about this

  Mole advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A small earth dwelling mammal, having velvety black fur and a pink coloured nose. Adults are typically about 140mm in length. Moles can be a significant pest of turf surfaces, due to their tunnelling activity and pushing up of soil to form soil hills or mounds: these are commonly referred to as mole hills. This undesirable activity causes a number of issues; including: Surface unevenness, which can seriously affect the playability of an area; Turf being smothered, which will kill off grass if the hills are not cleared or dispersed frequently enough; Stones being brought to the surface, causin

Continue reading about this

  Nematode advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A very small animal - a roundworm, often less than 1mm in length. They have their own Phylum: Nematoda. Many nematodes are free living within a soil and do no harm to grass plants. However, there are a few types which cause problems in turf rootzones and these are called Plant Parasitic Nematodes (PPNs).

  Pest [1] advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

Any organism, including weeds, insects, mammals, other harmful creatures, diseases etc. that is harmful to plants or plant products, such as wooden furniture.

  Rabbit advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A mammal with a brownish coloured fur, although its belly fur is a greyish colour. It has a typical head-body length of 34 to 50cm. The main problem with rabbits is that they nibble grass to the soil surface, producing uneven sward coverage and more seriously produce scrapings and divots, which not only look unsightly but can also be a health and safety hazard.

  Rose Chafer advert image shown if present
Image shown for entry if relevant and present

A chafer beetle that typically appears during June and July, or later. It is around 20mm in length and metallic green in colour. It feeds on rose plants and is not a problem of lawns. It mainly lives as grubs in organic material, such as leaf mould. It has a two-year lifecycle. It is also called the green rose chafer and its scientific name is Cetonia aurata.