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With summer weather and heat officially here for the next three months, summer stress will start to develop on putting greens and fairways. While a variety of conditions and diseases can cause issues, nematodes are often an underlying cause for severe summer stress. Nematode feeding in the spring and early summer weakens root systems and predisposes them to heat and drought stress.

Benificial Nematodes are naturally-occurring, microscopic organisms found in soils throughout the world. They mainly parasitize insect pests that have soil dwelling larval or pupal stages; however, they have been known to parasitize above ground stages of certain pests. Their wide range of prey makes them exceptional for general pest control in chemical-free growing environments.

Applying beneficial nematodes to lawns where the larvae of Japanese beetles feed and destroy turf, or to gardens and nurseries with infestations of immature soil-dwelling insects such as weevils and rootworms, is an increasingly popular way to rid your landscape of these pests. As a biological control agent, these microscopic worm-like animals help eliminate insects without chemicals that can be harmful to the environment. Like any insecticide, beneficial nematodes have drawbacks that may limit their effectiveness.