Demand for high quality lawns and golf courses leads turfgrass managers to have little tolerance for insect pest damage. Although current chemical insecticides are versatile and efficacious, growing public demand for safer pesticides, restrictions and loss of insecticide registrations, as well as concerns about resistance and pesticide impact on beneficial and non-target species make microbial controls an appealing alternative to chemical inputs. Microbial insecticides such as milky disease bacteria, fungi, and viruses are currently marketed or being developed for control of turfgrass insect pests. Despite their advantages (e.g., target specificity, safety), there remain hurdles to commercial development and acceptance by turfgrass managers. This talk will address the current status of microbial agents as well as prospects for developing microbial insecticides for the turfgrass market. Strategies to counteract some of the limitations of microbials, and approaches for modifying public expectations are suggested. Prospects and limitations of using a newly-discovered baculovirus (AgipMNPV) to manage black cutworm, A. ipsilon, on golf courses will serve as a case study.