Service · Pest Control

Grub & Armyworm Control in Franklin, TN

Fall armyworms do not overwinter in Tennessee — the moths ride Gulf air currents north every year, hit Franklin roughly August through October, and target lush, well-fertilized lawns and new sod first. A heavy infestation can take a lawn down in two days. Grubs work slower but pull the roots out from under you. We scout before we spray.

The 5-minute armyworm test you can run right now

Mix 1–2 tablespoons of dish soap into a gallon of water and pour it over a 2-foot by 2-foot section at the edge of the damaged area. If armyworms are present, they surface within minutes. Other tells: damage that appeared in 24–48 hours with a sharp line between dead and green, a “frosted” windowpane look on chewed blades, and birds suddenly working your lawn.

How we treat

  • Armyworms: liquid insecticide beats granular. Mow first so the application penetrates the canopy; no watering or mowing for 24 hours after. Speed matters — we prioritise armyworm calls in season.
  • Grubs: timing beats product. Preventive treatment in early summer targets young grubs when they are actually vulnerable; late-fall applications against fat, deep grubs mostly waste money.
  • Diagnosis first: the tug test — grub-damaged turf pulls up like loose carpet because the roots are gone. Drought and brown patch do not do that.

Worth knowing: zoysia is generally less attractive to armyworms than lush fescue or new Bermuda sod — one more variable we factor when neighborhoods like Westhaven weigh a conversion.

Grub & armyworm FAQs

Brown damage appearing within 24–48 hours, a sharp line between dead and living grass, birds congregating, and a frosted look on leaf blades. Confirm with the soap flush: 1–2 tablespoons of dish soap in a gallon of water over a 2×2 ft patch — they surface in minutes.

Typically August through October. They do not overwinter in Tennessee — moth flights migrate north from the Gulf states every summer, so it is an annual watch, worse in some years than others.

A heavy infestation can consume a lawn in as little as two days. That is why we treat armyworm calls as priority visits in season rather than routing them into the normal schedule.

The tug test. Grub-eaten turf pulls up like loose carpet because the roots are gone. Drought browns evenly and holds footprints; brown patch makes irregular circles. Treating the wrong one wastes a season.

Established fescue usually regrows from the crowns if the infestation is caught early; new sod and seedlings can be a total loss. Either way, September overseeding repairs the damage — and well-fed lawns are the preferred target, so we watch treated lawns closest.

Get a flat, written price for your yard

Call, or text a photo of the problem — we will tell you what it is even if you never hire us.

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