Billbugs, Elimination of Billbug Infestations, Billbug Identification

Adult billbugs are weevils 1/5 to 3/4 inch long. The reddish-brown to black adults have a pair of jaws at the tip of a long snout which resembles a bill. The young are white, legless grubs about 3/8 inch in length with the rear end wider than the head. Adults feed above ground and deposit eggs in the stems of host grasses.
Hatching larvae feed within the stems; larger larvae feed on the crown; mature larvae feed on the roots of the turf. Zoysiagrass and Bermudagrass are most often injured, but, feeding may occur on many grasses. In heavy infestations, roots of grass are destroyed and the turf killed in irregular patches.
Damage from billbugs differs from white grub or mole cricket injured turf as infested soil usually stays firm.

Damage to turfgrass from insect pests takes many forms:
Feeding by soil-inhabitants such as white grubs, billbugs, and mole crickets usually shows up as wilted, dead or dying grass. Sod may be disturbed in areas where wildlife or pets dig up soil-inhabiting pests.
Damage to turf by thatch inhabitants such as sod webworms, armyworms and cutworms is apparent when grass is cut off close to the ground. Damage by chinch bugs and spittlebugs, also thatch inhabitants, is similar to damage caused by soil inhabitants. Irregular spots of yellowish turf and dead spots may occur where chinch bug or spittlebug infestations go uncontrolled. Identifying your pest will save you time, money and your lawn.

Billbug Elimination

Billbug infestations can be controlled with the use of Acephate, a systemic insecticide in soluble powder concentrate. Due to the offensive odor of Acephate, many people will choose to use Permethrin Pro or Talstar One. Both of these concentrates can be used indoors as well as outdoors for various pests. Talstar has the longest residual of the two.
A one pound container of Acephate will treat 10,000 to 12,000 square feet of turf.
Use 1 ounce Permethrin Pro per 1,000 square feet of turf.
Use 1/2 ounce Talstar per 1,000 square feet of turf.