GROUND PEARLS

Text adapted from Turfgrass Pest Management: A guide to Major Turfgrass Pests in Oklahoma
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service

INSECT AND DESCRIPTION: Ground pearls, Margarodes spp. Females are wingless, pinkish scale insects with well developed forelegs and claws, about 1.6 mm long. Males, considered rare, are gnat-like and vary from 1 mm to 8 mm in length. Clusters of pinkish white eggs are enclosed in a white waxy sac. Nymphs, called ground pearls, have a globular, yellowish purple shell. Most cysts are 0.5-2.0 mm in diameter

LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS: The life cycle is not completely understood. They overwinter in the cysts. Females mature in May, emerge from the cysts, and after a short mobility period, secrete a waxy filament that covers the body. They remain about 2-3 inches deep in the soil and deposit eggs within the waxy coat. Egg laying begins in June and continues into July, with the hatch extending into August. Young crawlers start feeding on grass roots and develop the globular appearance. There is usually one generation/year, but under unfavorable conditions 2-3 years may be required to complete a life cycle.

SUSCEPTIBLE PLANTS: All turfgrasses.

DAMAGE CAUSED: Nymphs extract sap from the roots. The damage appears as irregular patches. During summer dry spells, the grass yellows, browns and usually dies by fall. Cysts are present in larger numbers at the interface between damaged and healthy grass.

METHOD OF DETECTION: Examine the soil around the grass roots. Dig in the areas near green healthy grass. Ground pearls can be found as deep as 10 inches in the soil (a depth that reduces the possibility of developing practical means of control).