Lawn Insect Control

Not every brown patch is drought or grubs. Surface-feeding insects like chinch bugs and sod webworms chew and suck the life out of grass blades, often in the hottest, sunniest parts of your lawn. We find them, identify them and treat them.

Lawn insects are easy to miss until the damage spreads. They hide in thatch, feed at the base of grass plants, and their damage looks a lot like drought stress. Identifying the right pest matters, because the treatment and timing are different for each one. For grubs that feed underground on roots, see our grub control service.

Turf Insects We Treat

• Chinch bugs — tiny insects that suck sap from grass blades in hot, dry, sunny areas, leaving yellow-to-brown patches that spread outward
• Sod webworms — caterpillars that chew grass blades at night; you may see small moths flying low over the lawn at dusk
• Armyworms and cutworms — caterpillars that can strip grass quickly in late summer
• Billbugs — weevils whose larvae feed inside grass stems

How We Handle Lawn Insects

1. Diagnosis. We inspect the edges of damaged areas, check thatch and look for insects to confirm the cause.
2. Targeted treatment. We apply the right control for the insect and its life stage.
3. Recovery plan. Damaged areas often need aeration and overseeding.
4. Prevention. Reducing thatch and keeping turf healthy with regular fertilization makes your lawn less attractive to insects.

Is It Insects, Grubs, Disease or Drought?

• Insects: Damage starts in sunny spots and spreads; you may see insects at the edge of the patch.
• Grubs: Turf peels back like carpet because roots are gone.
• Disease: Spots, rings or lesions on the blades — see disease control.
• Drought: Grass recovers after a good soaking.

Pairs Well With

Lawn insect control fits into any of our lawn programs.

• Grub Control — for insects feeding underground on roots
• Lawn Fertilization — healthy turf resists insect damage
• Overseeding & Grass Seeding — repairs insect-damaged areas

Lawn Insect Control Across Greater Bangor and Midcoast Maine

Our trucks run out of our Hermon office at 53 Dave’s Way every week of the season. We serve Bangor, Brewer, Hermon, Orono, Augusta, Waterville, Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, Blue Hill, Belfast, Camden, plus Veazie, Hampden, Glenburn, Holden, Eddington, Old Town and the surrounding towns. Not sure if you’re on our route? Call 207-848-3335 and we’ll tell you in a minute. See every town on our service areas page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Helpful Maine Resources

• Maine Board of Pesticides Control: Turf Care Basics
• UMaine Cooperative Extension: Establishing a Home Lawn in Maine (Bulletin #2367)

Get Started

Brown patches that don’t respond to water? Call 207-848-3335 or request a free estimate. Every program starts with a Healthy Lawn Analysis^® and is backed by the TruGreen Guarantee: if you’re not satisfied between scheduled visits, we come back and re-treat at no extra cost.