Buffalo grass sod webworm caterpillars are not exposed by which detection method that reveals many other pests?

• A. Water-detergent wash
• B. Visual inspection
• C. Soil sampling
• D. Scent traps

Answer: (A)

Pests differ in where they live and how they can be detected. Buffalo grass sod webworm caterpillars hide in the thatch and soil, feeding from within the turf rather than on the surface of the leaves. A water-detergent wash works by flushing pests off leaf surfaces, so it won’t reach these concealed larvae. Other methods that can reveal them include visual inspection of the turf and thatch (lifting or turning turf to look for larvae) or soil sampling to pull pests from the root zone. Scent traps, which monitor adult moths, don’t directly detect the larvae. So the method that doesn’t expose these caterpillars, despite revealing many other pests, is the water-detergent wash.