Any connection between our mushy, yellow lawn and these little beige critters that climb up onto our driveway at night and when it rains? They are about an inch long.
I'm surprised no-one has answered you yet. It looks to me like leatherjackets (craneflies), but I can't really be sure from that photo. The damage looks typical of leatherjackets, though. Looks like your lawn will have to be overseeded, or even redone. Not much you can do for spraying, either, as most municipalities have banned insecticides. The birds, raccoons, skunks, and other animals may dig up your lawn looking for grubs, which will get rid of some, but will also further damage the lawn. They stop feeding (depending on the species) in May, so then I guess you can start repairs. In the future, just ensure that your lawn is healthy in order to protect itself from attack, and nematodes can be sprayed to reduce the number of grubs. That's also tricky, because you need the right kind of nematode at the right time, which can be difficult when there's a lot of sun.
Thanks SO much for your reply! I am going to try nematodes when the soil is warm enough. Hopefully that will take care of the leatherjackets, but unfortunately it won't repair the lawn. Do you think the leatherjacket problem is one that came with the turf we bought? We installed it about a year-and-a-half ago. I don't notice any damage to the fallow field surrounding the lawn, or to my parents' lawn, just down the driveway. The damage is only on our turf.
Yes, very likely came from the new turf. It looks like it needs to be replaced; if you can pull it up with no roots evident, it's finished. These little monsters can destroy a new lawn in no time, before it has time to get strong.
Try seeding, not turfing maybe, with a mixed-species mix. Probably more resistant to a variety of issues. Not being a lawn purist, I am having fun with "enviro-mix" or some name like that. I patch my lawn with it & have 2 kinds of clover, lawn daisies & various odd little perennials popping up. I cut it at 3" & it gets lots of flowers, bees, birds....Ah! Now birds. That's the point here. Starlings (yes I know, I hate the things), crows & robins cruise my lawn & I do believe they eat most of the leatherjackets. Correct me if I am wrong, this is my amateur observation.
Starlings were considered to be a pest prior to 1989, and still are, to a degree. But, as Lysichiton brought out, they keep the leatherjacket population under control. In the late '80's we had a major problem with the European Crane Fly, and lawns were yellowing out all over the Lower Mainland. But the starlings kept busy, growing in numbers, until the crane fly population was reduced to more manageable. So they redeemed themselves a little. I like the idea of the enviro-mix. It's more colourful, it's easier to maintain, and let's face it, lawn is waaaay overdone here. In the summertime huge amounts of water are wasted on it, whereas nice mixes like you have, Lysichiton, require much less water and fertilizer. It's great when folks mix it up a bit.
