Billbugs and Zoyzia Grass
 

I have read othre threads here about problems with Zoyzia grass dying out and we are having the same problem. The dead grass is contributing to the thach. SO over the weekend I raked alot of the thatch up and what I was finding was a number of black...I mean real black bugs that look like a beetle runnning around. Imean these critters are very small but you can find them due to therir black color contrasted against the brown thatch.

SO what I am saying is that I dont think I have Brown Spot but Billbugs in my grass. To find them just stare at the grass and you may notice something crawling in the thatch. Here is a good link in identifying them.

http://www.american-lawns.com/insects/billbugs.html

Anyone else have this problem...How did you get rid of them?????

They are called Pill bugs and are generally harmless. They eat dead vegitation i.e. your grass. You can use insecticides but it's not necessary. They like wet areas with dead vegitation. When the grass comes back they will be less noticable. I know people are treating for the fungus that is killing some of the zoysia. The bugs are not killing the grass.

I have just raked some of the dead grass added scotts funguscide plus fertilizer and new grass is creeping back in. I don't know if you really have to do much else.

I really think it is a problem caused by the harsh winter and dry spring. But this zoysia is very tough stuff and with all the recent rain is coming back fast.

I am no landscaper just like to do my own yard. I may be wrong.

The ones in the lawn are really called billbugs and they will eat the grass.
http://www.landscape-america.com/pro.../billbugs.html

Yes there is a pill bug that eat mostly rotting vegetables.
http://www.pestworldforkids.org/pillbugs.html

The billbugs are a problem on our golf courses.

Thanks for that information. As soon as the rains let up, we're going to check for billbugs. There are patches of what appears to be dead grass and we also assumed it was a fungal problem....might be critters!