Question
I live in Reno Nevada - my lawn has started to have large 8-in diameter yellow spots - I see no bugs other than a few 'Sow bugs' - a few earwigs - but I can't find the sources of the earwigs - they congregate under potted plants.  Do you recommend using Scotts Summerguard?  The temps now durring the day are in the 90's.
Regards - Donna

Answer
8 inch diameter Yellow Spots can have several causes. There is nothing to be gained by putting Scotts Summerguard on perfectly healthy Grass, but there is plenty to be lost.  Healthy Grass does not get sick.  My money says this is not the only Scotts product you have on a shelf in the garage.  If you had fertilized correctly, you would have no patches, no bugs and no problems on the Lawn right now.  Let's figure out how to make your Grass Healthy instead of making the Scotts stockholders rich.

Please see the photo on the link below describing 'Melting-Out Disease', a common Fungus that attacks Lawns in Washoe County.  It attacks cool and warm season Grasses.  Does your Lawn look anything like this?

Note the 8 inch spots, some bigger than 8 inches because the smaller patches blend with nearby smaller patches and become a larger patch.

There are several other diseases, my friend, but they attack different Grasses.  Can you tell me what kind of Grass you are growing -- Fescue, Bluegrass, Bermudagrass, etc?  Any idea?

Before you blame the problem on Earwigs, I have to tell you that these bugs get blamed for everything in the Garden.  Southern Nevada has some very helpful Earwigs that feed on insects we do not want in the Garden or the Lawn.  Northern Nevada, closer to your neck of the woods, has some less helpful Earwigs species, but even these are predators of Mites and soft bodied insects.  Mulching your foundation plants with tree bark or compost will attract all your local Earwigs and keep them away from anything you don't want them near, like small seedlings.  They rarely bother Lawngrasses.  You can read more about them on the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension cheat sheet on Earwigs:

http://www.unce.unr.edu/publications/files/ho/2001/fs0141.pdf

Please advise about your warm or cool season Grass or the kind that is growing.  It would help.  If not, let me know, and we can still figure it out, just with a little more work.  Thanks for writing.