skoot cat, Bt. will work but the caterpillar must still be in the feeding stage. There is specific information at the website of IFAS/University of Florida website. edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Howdy, My name is Mathew. I'm a graduate of The Nature Lyceum. I'm certified in organic horticulture and work as an organic consultant.

Sod web worms. Lucky you. OK, lets solve this problem organically.

First, lest take a sec to look at this. Sod web worms are almost everywhere, so why are their so many eating your lawn! Maybe your lawn tastes better being organic and all! Seriously, a few things to consider:

Lawns, just like apartment buildings, and planets, lawns have a limited population density. Only so much flora and fauna can live together. If you have so many web worms that they are eating your lawn then it is likely that you do not have enough natural predators in your turf to "crowd out" the web worms. Ants, rove beetles, mites, and ground beetles are all natural sod worm egg eaters. The more of them, the less sod worms. Now think smaller. Beneficial nematodes, bacteria, fungus and other micro-organisms need to be present in a full orchestra of soil bio-function to truly support a strong, pest resistant, organic lawn.

Try this:

-Increase your organic matter. Many of the beneficials above will increase. If you don't want smelly fish juice of poop tea, try a Leonardite based "compost tea", it's high in OM. Leonardite based conditioners have been shown to greatly increase root mass, which in turn will increase the recovery ability of the leaf structures, after being munched by worms. It will also reduce water needs by increasing the CEC.

-Put down a good beneficial soil innoculant. This will increase the micro-organisms needed. Its best to put it down on a rainy night so that the bios will stand a good chance of not drying out before they take.

-If you don't mind a second verity of grass, start over seeding with a endophytically enhanced seed. Rye grasses and fescues are available. The seed is infused with a natural fungus that worms, and most other pests, don't like the taste of, and even kills the ones who try to feed. The fungus sticks around for as long as the grass does. If you don't want a second kind of grass, then over seed with what you have.

No quick fixes in organics, but it takes a little time to solve problems, instead of treat symptoms. You could try spraying the worm at might with hot pepper wax or Pest-0, but I think your problem is bigger than that. I hope I was a help. If you cant find what you need or you need more advice, let me know.
Good luck

Mathew Ingles
huckfinn49@yahoo.com

As I was spraying B.T. on my lawn last night I noticed a Praying Manits on one of the grass blades. First one I've ever seen in my lawn. I then noticed a few wolf spiders crawling around in the grass.

I hope these guys are eating/helping me battle the sod webworms.

Another natural predator for all caterpillars is the paper wasp. These are the guys that have the umbrella shaped nest made of paper (not mud) under your eaves (likely right at your door). As long as you have several wasp nests, you should not have caterpillar problems. If you can avoid all temptation to swat at these wasps, NO MATTER HOW CLOSE THEY FLY TO YOU, then you can live in peace and harmony with them. They very (very) rarely attack unless you make swinging motions near their nest.

Of course if you are allergic to them, then you probably have to do other things.

greenguerrilla: I never heard of The Nature Lyceum, and their website is not much help. Can you tell us what it is and what they do? It looks like a certification process for lawn care professionals.

There are a few paper wasps (that I've seen) which hover above the grass, but not many.

As of now there are only 2-3 spots roughly 4" diameter of my lawn where you can notice the grass has been chewed and is almost dead/brown.

In the evening, when I walk across or mow the lawn there are several Adult sod webworm moths (50-100) in any given area. I know the adult moths are not causing the damage, its their larva. It is very hard to notice any damage until they have completely chewed/destroyed and area. They are so frustrating, I get them every year and they always cause so much damage.

Someone suggested Pyrethrin, but I am skeptical as I understand it's very powerful and will kill all insects good and bad.

Any Thoughts?