Bermuda grass is a warm-season turf and forage species common in lawns, golf courses, and pastures across warmer climates. As a highly available food source, it attracts diverse organisms that consume its leaves, stems, and roots. Understanding which creatures are feeding on the grass is the first step toward diagnosing lawn damage or managing forage production. Consumption patterns vary widely, from microscopic root parasites to large grazing mammals, each leaving distinct signs of their presence. Identifying these consumers requires observing where and how the grass tissue is being eaten.
Common Insect Pests
Surface-feeding caterpillars are rapid defoliators of Bermuda grass, often causing damage that appears almost overnight. The fall armyworm is a common culprit whose larvae feature a distinct inverted “Y” shape on their head and strip the leaf tissue, leaving behind a brown, ragged appearance. Sod webworm larvae also feed on the grass blades near the soil line, creating irregular brown patches that can look like drought stress. These caterpillars are nocturnal feeders, often hiding in the thatch layer.
Other insect pests target the grass below the surface, attacking the root structure and crown. White grubs, the larvae of various beetles, are C-shaped, cream-colored insects that feed on the roots, limiting the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Heavy grub infestations can prune the roots so thoroughly that the turf can be easily rolled back like a carpet.
Another root-feeding pest is the mole cricket, which uses its shovel-like front legs to tunnel through the soil. They eat roots and dislodge the turf, leading to dead patches and spongy areas in the lawn.
Microscopic Root Feeders
Below the soil line, plant-parasitic nematodes pose a threat to Bermuda grass by consuming the contents of the root cells. These are microscopic, unsegmented roundworms, making them difficult to diagnose without specialized testing. Nematodes use a needle-like mouthpart, called a stylet, to puncture root cells and extract nutrients. This feeding weakens the root system, causing it to become stunted, darkened, or abnormally branched.
The above-ground symptoms often mimic nutrient deficiencies or drought stress, appearing as irregularly shaped patches of thinning, yellowing turf that do not respond to irrigation or fertilization. Species like the sting, lance, and root-knot nematodes feed on Bermuda grass, reducing the plant’s tolerance to environmental stresses. Because the symptoms are non-specific, a definitive diagnosis requires submitting soil and root samples to a diagnostic laboratory for a professional nematode assay.
Larger Grazing Animals
Larger mammals consume Bermuda grass, falling into two categories: grazers and burrowing root-eaters. Above-ground grazers, such as rabbits and livestock like cattle and sheep, physically clip the grass blades. Rabbits often eat the grass down to the crown, leaving clipped patches. Cattle graze by wrapping their tongue around the grass, preferring taller forage, while sheep graze closer to the soil surface, consuming shorter grasses and weeds.
Subsurface mammals cause damage by feeding on the root and rhizome system of the grass. Pocket gophers are herbivores that chew through roots and can pull entire plants down into their tunnels. Their activity is identified by fan-shaped mounds of soil on the surface, created as they excavate their complex burrow systems. Voles, which are mouse-like rodents, also feed on grass blades, stems, and shallow roots, but they create visible, snaking surface runways in the turf rather than large mounds.