UMass Fact Sheet on Beneficial Lawn Insects Featured on 'The Cool Down'

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The marketing around artificial lawns may pitch myriad benefits to homeowners, but various experts have been voicing their concerns, arguing that these lawns come with a handful of environmental downsides.

In an article on the blog The Cool Down, author Cassidy Lovell summarizes a heated Reddit debate on artificial lawns and draws upon expert opinions for context. Arguing that artificial turf is inhospitable for wildlife, Lovell quotes Dr. Pat Vittum, professor of turfgrass entomology at the College of Natural Sciences's Stockbridge School of Agriculture, while asserting that many bugs “provide a natural form of control for pest insects or assist in the breakdown of organic matter so nutrients can be returned to the soil.” The article also links to a fact sheet on beneficial lawn insects published by the Center for Agriculture, Food, and the Environment (CAFE)'s UMass Extension Turf Program.

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