Pest profile

Bermudagrass Scale

Odonaspis ruthae · Hemiptera: Diaspididae[2]

Bermudagrass scale is a tiny armored scale that feeds on the stolons, crowns and stems of warm-season lawn grasses.[1]

No licensed photo of this species is available yet; the identification notes below describe what to look for.

How to identify it

  • It's small (0.06 inch), white and clam-shaped; female covers are round, male covers longer.[1]
  • Heavily infested lawns look stunted and drought-stressed.[1]

Look-alikes

Look-alikeHow to tell them apart
Rhodesgrass mealybugCovered in white fluffy wax with long filaments, and it produces honeydew.[1]
Ground pearlsFeed on roots inside hard, round white or tan 'pearls' in the soil.[1]

Where it lives

It's an infrequent lawn pest mostly in South Carolina's Sandhills and Coastal Plain.[1]

US map: public records from 1 state since 1990 (GBIF).

Biology and life cycle

Females lay pinkish eggs under the cover; there may be two generations a year, hatching March to May and July to November.[1]

Crawlers settle, start sucking sap and molt into the immobile clam-shaped form.[1]

Damage and signs

  • Combined with drought, shade or poor fertility, scale injury can kill a lawn; thatch shelters the scales.[1]

Health risk

It feeds on plants; Clemson HGIC mentions no risk to people.[1]

Control

Prevention

Keep turf healthy: proper mowing height, soil-test-based fertilizing and morning watering in dry spells.[1]

Traps and physical control

Dethatching removes some insects; do uninfested areas first and don't spread the debris.[1]

Pesticides

A product combining a systemic and a contact insecticide, or an imidacloprid spray during crawler activity, works best.[1]

Common questions

What are the tiny white specks on my grass runners?
They may be bermudagrass scale, a tiny white clam-shaped armored scale.[1]
Which grasses does bermudagrass scale attack?
Centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass and bermudagrass.[1]

Sources

  1. Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, “Bermudagrass Scale, Rhodesgrass Mealybug and Ground Pearl (HGIC 2157).” hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/bermudagrass-scale-rhodesgrass-mealybug-ground-pearl/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
  2. iNaturalist, “Odonaspis ruthae taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1042345 (accessed 2026-10-06)

Updated 2026-10-15. Built from sourced records. Spot an error? Tell us.