Hello World! Welcome Friends! You’ve put hours – and plenty of money – into making your lawn look amazing. It’s the envy of the neighbors, with everyone stopping to ask how you did it. Everything’s great, until they arrive. Who’s “they”? The pesky bugs, which if left to their own devices, will destroy all of your hard work.
Common yard pests, including insects and rodents, have their place in nature. Most homeowners, however, would agree that place isn’t where they can wreak havoc on their well-tended grass. And some bugs, like mosquitos and ticks, might not do much damage to your grass, but they can be annoying and harmful to the humans living in your home. That’s why it’s so important to take steps to keep pests away from your yard, and that’s easy to do with these tips.
Identify the Problem
As with any issue in your yard, the first step to fixing the problem is to identify the actual issue. It doesn’t do any good to treat for grubs when you have aphids, after all. Different pests can cause different types of damage, so you need to inspect the problem areas as soon as you spot them to determine the best course of action. Grasshoppers and Japanese beetles, for instance, will chew the blades of grass and leaves of plants, while grubs will destroy grass at the root level. It’s not always immediately obvious what the issue is, and you may need to contact a company for lawn care services for an accurate diagnosis, but it’s important to know what you are dealing with from the start.
Keep in in mind that simply having bugs in your grass doesn’t indicate an issue. Insects are a key part of the ecosystem and attempting to eradicate them entirely can do more harm than good. One way to see what you are dealing with is to pour two gallons of soapy water on a patch of lawn and then observe the critters that crawl up from the soil. This not only tells you what you’re dealing with, and how big the problem is. Your local extension service can tell you how many bugs equals a concern, and what to do about them.
Stop Them Before They Start
One way to help keep bugs from infiltrating is make it as inhospitable to them as possible. For example, mosquitoes breed in standing water, so be diligent about removing all standing water from your yard every day; mosquitoes don’t need much space, so don’t overlook even small containers and toys in your water check. Tall grasses and weedy areas also create the ideal habitat for ticks and mosquitoes, so keep up with that maintenance as well and remove those plants.
Water isn’t the only thing that attracts bugs to your yard. Garbage cans, for example, are a prime spot for ants and flies, so keep them covered and away from your entertaining and play areas.
Keep Them Away
Many common lawn pests can be repelled, or at least kept in check, via natural methods. Attracting birds and bats, for example, can help keep the number of bugs in your yard to a minimum. Install a bat house on a tree to attract these nocturnal rodents, who will decimate the bug population in your yard. Bird baths and feeders can also attract birds that will snack on the destructive pests.
Other pests may need more aggressive measures, though. Moles, for instance, eat the grubs and insects under your lawn, but their tunnels and holes will harm the root system of the grass. This tends to be a problem in lawns that are overwatered, so remember to water no more than an inch or two per week, in one sitting. If the moles still show up, try creating a solution of olive or castor oil and water and spraying it near their holes. They hate the smell and will move elsewhere.
Watching for Signs
Sometimes, it’s hard to tell that you have a problem until the damage has already been done. For example, if you notice that your roses are covered with Japanese beetles, along with dead patches of dead grass, that’s a sign that you have grubs, which are the beetle larvae. While an application of natural pesticide like neem oil can help eradicate the adult beetles, the larvae in the grass require more aggressive treatment, such as milky spore, nematodes, or granular pest control product that will kill them.
Grubs aren’t the only bugs that may need aggressive intervention. But before you automatically opt for a pesticide or insecticide, determine what pests you have and whether other options may work. You don’t want to kill more lawn, or beneficial insects, in the process of getting rid of pests. The right approach will both keep your lawn looking great and protect the bugs and animals you want in your yard.
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[…] don’t forget about the outside of your home. Take some time to fix up the yard, including maintaining your lawn, planting some new flowers, or doing any other landscaping tasks. If you want, you can even fix up […]