Why Beneficial Nematodes Are Gaining Ground in Soccer Field Management

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Playing football or soccer on a well-maintained sports field, enjoying a picnic in the park, or walking across lush green lawns represents the ideal spring or summer experience for many people. Yet few are aware of the complexity involved in protecting these green spaces from belowground insect pests.

Sports field managers, municipalities, and landscape maintenance professionals regularly face damage caused by soil-dwelling insects. From early summer onward, chafer beetle larvae feed on grass roots, weakening turf and leaving behind brown, damaged patches. Crane fly larvae can cause similar problems, reducing turf quality and limiting the usability of recreational landscapes. Birds and small mammals searching for these insects can further disturb the surface.

When infestations increase, the impact can be significant: playing surfaces become uneven or unsafe, turf loses vitality, and public green areas decline in both appearance and function. As sustainable and biodiversity-friendly land management gains momentum, beneficial nematodes are becoming an increasingly important tool in turf care. 

These microscopic organisms offer a natural alternative to conventional chemical treatments. Applied with water directly to the soil, beneficial nematodes actively seek out pest larvae and can significantly reduce populations when conditions are suitable.

Specific nematode species move through the thin water film surrounding soil particles, locating their hosts through natural signals such as carbon dioxide. Once they find a suitable larva, they infect it and suppress the pest through a natural biological process. Inside the host insect, the nematodes release symbiotic bacteria that stop the larva from developing further. They then reproduce and continue their life cycle in the soil. Maintaining adequate soil moisture is essential, as it allows nematodes to move effectively through the soil profile.

A major advantage of beneficial nematodes is their safety. They are harmless to humans, pets, birds, and pollinators such as bees, making them well suited for parks, playgrounds, school grounds, gardens, and sports facilities where public health and environmental stewardship are priorities.

Because they work with soil biology rather than against it, beneficial nematodes fit naturally within integrated and ecological turf management strategies. Their growing use reflects a broader shift toward biodiversity-friendly land management, ecological landscaping, and sustainable green infrastructure.

Modern turf science increasingly recognizes soil as a living ecosystem that directly shapes the health and resilience of the surface above. As ecological turf care continues to gain attention, beneficial nematodes are becoming part of a wider movement toward greener and more sustainable public landscapes. 

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—Further Reading

• Grewal, P. S., Koppenhöfer, A. M., & Choo, H. Y. 2005. Lawn, turfgrass and pasture applications. In Nematodes as Biocontrol Agents (Grewal, P. S., Ehlers, R.‑U., & Shapiro‑Ilan, D. I., Eds.), pp. 115–146. CABI Publishing.

  This chapter provides an in‑depth overview of how entomopathogenic nematodes are used in turfgrass, lawn, and pasture systems, including their biology, application strategies, and effectiveness against key soil‑dwelling insect pests.