Most of these insects are harmless. In fact many insects are actually beneficial. These beneficial insects prey on insect pests that harm your lawn. Only a very few kinds of insects actually can damage your lawn. Chemicals applied to lawns to kill insects are called insecticides.
Lawns are susceptible to several different diseases.
Many of the diseases that attack lawns are caused by improper management by the landowner. Some potential management problems include improper watering, improper fertilization, lack of thatch removal, and choosing the wrong grass cultivar for the climate. Chemicals that are applied to lawns to control disease problems are usually called fungicides. These include rodents such as moles and gophers, nematodes, snails and slugs, and ants. Chemicals used to kill rodents are called rodenticides.