Lawn Pest Control 101 Learn How To Get Rid Of Lawn Pests
A lush green lawn requires a lot of attention, energy and of course monetary investment from the home owner. Looking after the garden lawn is a continuous process the work doesnt stop when the thick grass has covered your outdoor area. You have to be on the constant lookout for lawn pests and bugs which could damage the effort you have been putting in for months.
There are numerous species and kinds of bugs and tiny pests that have the potential of turning a grassy green patch and luscious blooms into withered yellow patch and dead leaves hanging on stems. If you dont want your effort to go to waste, then follow these simple steps to get rid of common lawn pests that generally plague gardens.
The first step towards ridding your lawn of pests is the identification of pests. The bugs and insects that normally plague the grass blades and surrounding flowering plants are very tiny and often go unnoticed. The first and most common sign indicating that there is a possibility of pest infestation in your garden is a withered or yellowish patch in your grass or perhaps in your bed of flowers.
There are a couple of methods of bringing in these beneficial bugs into your garden. You can either attract them from the afar by planting plants as oregano, daisies, thyme, fennel, zinnias, dill and sunflowers or you can actually purchase live ones from garden shops or online bug stores.
The Life Cycle Of The Southern Chinch Bug
An adult female chinch bug can deposit over 250 eggs on average in her lifecycle, she may lay as little as 4 eggs per day, but she will oviposit for many continuous weeks.
Female chinch bugs deposit there eggs in St. Augustine grass close to where the plant contacts the dirt.
During the summer months the eggs will hatch in 6 to 13 days, with the average period of incubation being 11 days. This process may last a month or more during the winter months.
The newly emerged southern chinch bug nymphs resemble smaller, wingless adults. In the first nymphal instar is yellow. The color changes to red with a pale white band across the abdomen and finally to black with a similar white band as the insect progresses through the five nymphal instars that the chinch bug goes through.
The adult southern chinch bug has a black body the wings are white with a black spot on the margins of the forewings.
There are two forms of southern chinch bug the long-winged form and the short-winged form.
The length of the adult chinch bug life span differ significantly with averages ranging from 10 to 70 days.
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Effective Lawn Pest Control
Lawn pest damage often goes unnoticed and unchecked until major damage occurs. Fortunately, you can quickly and efficiently control and prevent pests such as cutworms, armyworms, sod webworms, grubs, and chinch bugs with the help of GardenTech® Sevin® brand insecticides.
Sevin® Insect Killer Granules kill more than 100 insect pests by contact, working above and below the surface. This highly effective answer to lawn pest problems won’t harm plants, blooms or lawn when used as directed. Use it on fruit and vegetable gardens, ornamental and flower gardens, and around your home as well. Plus, it keeps killing insect pests and protecting for up to three months.
Sevin® Insect Killer in ready-to-use, ready-to-spray and concentrate liquid forms also treats more than 500 types of lawn and garden pests, including damaging moths and beetles. Tough on pests, but gentle on gardens, these liquid forms also work by contact and provide up to three months of continuing protection.
A pest-free lawn is a pleasant place for family and friends to gather and enjoy your outdoor spaces. Keep an eye out for these common turf nuisances and act promptly when they strike. With the help of GardenTech® brands and Sevin® garden insecticides, you can control common lawn pests and stop them in their tracks.
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Reclaim Your Lawn From Unwelcome Insects
Although more than 800,000 different species of insects creep and crawl across the Earth, the vast majority do not harm turf grass. However, there are a select few that prefer to feast on a lush, green lawn. The following suggestions can help homeowners reclaim their lawns from these unwelcome dinner guests.
S To Control Chinch Bugs Florida
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2 Steps To Control Chinch Bugs Florida first is to correctly identify you have chinch bugs and second is to select the right insecticide to control it.
If you have a St Augustine lawn in Florida you will get chinch bug its not a mater of if but how often.
The southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis its scientific name is a common insect pest of St. Augustinegrass.
This tiny pest is responsible for millions of dollars in lawn damage per year, as homeowners and commercial property managers seek to control chinch bug outbreaks by applying insecticides or replacing damaged grass.Southern chinch bug was first found in the United States in Orange County, NC in 1783 and ever since then chinch bug has become a notorious pest throughout the southern United States.
The southern chinch bug seams to have an affinity for St. Augustine grass and is the second most expensive plant feeding pest in Florida.
Southern chinch bug thrives in the warm wet summer months and infestations peak during early July. The southern chinch bug will sometimes overwinter in a temporary dormant state in northern Florida,
The southern chinch bug usually stays active during the winter sheltered around the roots and base of St. Augustinegrass. The southern chinch bug does not need to leave its feeding ground thus the spring infestations often begin where the pest injury stopped the preceding season.
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Why Is My Grass Full Of Flies
You have lawn flies simply because something is present in the yard to attract them. Its true that a cookout will bring a few over. So you should do your best to keep food covered so the flies do not land on the food. But when food isnt the culprit, there is likely another reason they are hanging around.
Lawn Pests: Cutworms Armyworms And Sod Webworms
Cutworms, armyworms, and sod webworms are moth larvae. Cutworms are about 2-inches long, and gray or brown with stripes. These larvae lawn pests feed on the base of the grass stems, and you will often see the sheared-off remains of the grass. Armyworms are 1 to 2-inches long and vary in color from pink to yellow to gray. They eat the whole blade of grass leaving circular bare spots and will sometimes skeletonize other plant leaves as well. Sod webworms are the 1-inch long, brown or green larvae of the sod webworm moth and they eat grass, including blades and stems, all the way down to the soil. This results in dirt patches showing up in an otherwise healthy lawn, and those patches are often riddled with holes from birds trying to eat the worms.
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Lawn Bugs And How To Get Rid Of Them
Its important to learn about all the different pests and lawn bugs that can invade and damage your lawn. Its equally important to arm yourself with a plan for treating it and ensuring your grass stays healthy and gorgeous all year long. When its thick, beautiful, healthy and green, your lawn can be an inviting part of your landscape, and the first impression people get when visiting or driving by. However, if your lawn is brown and struggling to survive because of pest invasion, it doesnt take long for it to lose the appeal it once had.
Lets start by identifying all the common lawn bugs found in grass and learn the damage they can cause. The best method for controlling lawn pests is to know exactly which bug youre dealing with, knowing its life cycle, and treating the problem correctly and promptly.
Look for the common signs. Youll know that the lawn bugs have invaded when your grass has brown spots, dying patches, blades that wilt, blades with bite marks, and of course, visible insects crawling or flying in the turf layer. If you notice holes in the turf or can see very short roots, it is an indication that the pest is underground.
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Keeping Chinch Bugs Away From Your Grass
After youve started diminishing the population slowly but surely, you can start to take measures to ensure that they dont come back and infest your lawn all over again.
The first thing you should do is to remove the layer of grass that lies on the soil. This is the layer thats often referred to as the thatch, which takes up about ¾ of an inch and builds up over time.
Chinch bugs like to take shelter here and getting rid of this layer will definitely help stop them from coming back again. You can use an aerator for lawn aerating shoes. These tools will easily get rid of the thatch and keep the chinch bugs out.
You should also practice good lawn care by making sure to keep the grass trimmed and apply compost, manure, and other supplements to help bring back the damaged areas.
Use a good quality fertilizer and aged manure to help bring your lawn back quickly from chinch bug damage.
Practice mowing your lawn at least once a week to keep the clippings short which will keep the thatch layer in check.
During the summer months, keep your lawn hydrated well but dont water too much or else youll easily attract more pets. Also, keep track of when you water- its best to do so during the evening to avoid shocking the lawn from burns.
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Top Recommended Company For Grub Control
TruGreen offers extensive Grub Prevention & Control Services. A specialist will use a pre-emptive application to eliminate white grubs before they can do too much damage. The specialist will start by monitoring the lawn for adult beetle activity, then apply insect control just before the hatching season. The product will get absorbed by the soil and stay in the root system to eradicate grubs that hatch.
To Chinch Bugs Your Lawn Is Dinner
You do everything right. You water your lawn regularly. You feed it when you’re supposed to. Yet, here and there, you have what looks like drought damage. If you live in the south and have St. Augustinegrass or zoysiagrass, you could be entertaining a whole troop of chinch bugs. These nasty little critters suck your grass blades dry. Then they inject a poison that kills them. They can kill patches or your entire lawn. But you can get even.
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Chemical Ways To Get Rid Of Lawn Grubs
Chemical control is sure to kill off your lawn grubs, but it comes at a costusing these treatments can kill beneficial insects, too. There are two types of chemical treatments.
Use Citronella As A Bug Repellent
Whether city dwellers or country folk, most consumers have used citronella candles in their outdoor space. These are an easy and affordable option, and while these candles arent nearly as powerful as bug zappers or insecticides, they are a more atmospheric option that fits seamlessly with your outdoor decor.
This set of ornate soy wax citronella candles sold at Amazon burns with notes of the green citrus and fresh clean fragrance. Each has a burning time of 26-30 hours. For maximum and widespread citronella power, try buying a large pack of citronella tea light candles.
Another, much more natural, citronella option is to stock your outdoor space with citronella plants, whether you have a few of the annuals in pots, or plant them around your patio.
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In The Yard You Are Able To Use A Spray That Is The Thing Which Can Connect To Hoses And Spread The Oils With Drinking Water
How to get rid of crane flies in lawn. If you have a crane fly larvae problem, you may notice random brown patches in your yard and even see a brownish paste when they are most active in the spring and fall. Avoid wetting your grass too much, only sparingly. Once a week deep watering.
For example, sunflower seeds will attract finches, sparrows, and jays. Install window and door screens to inhibit their entrance into the house. As thatch is an excellent place for crane flies larvae to grow, thats why dethatch your lawn when necessary.
Insects, which include crane flies, are attracted by the light in the bug zapper and get electrocuted. Applying a quarterly pest control treatment can kill the larvae and adults. Crane flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, gnats and midges all like to spend time in a lawn.
Install it at a heightened spot in your garden, and itll keep the crane flies in check. Applying some nitrogen on your lawn is one of the methods of getting rid of the crane flies larva. Lawn aeration is one of the most important measures to eliminate crane flies.
Aeration and proper drainage will prevent conditions for laying eggs For example, sunflower seeds will attract finches, sparrows, and jays. Switching the type of seed you use to feed will change the species attracted to your lawn.
Natural and organic pest controls. Crane fly larvae feed on grass and kill your lawn. When you water your lawn, give your grass 1 to 1½ ounces of water.
The Lifecycle Of A Southern Chinch Bug
Female chinch bugs lay their eggs in the upper organic layers of soil. After about four weeks, eggs hatch into nymph chinch bugs, usually around early July. These pests will start consuming grass roots right away, covering your entire lawn in a matter of weeks.
Nymph chinch bugs will molt several more times before becoming adults at the end of the season. Unlike nymphs, adult bugs consume the juices of grass blades, spreading damages far and wide. There can be up to four generations of chinch bug per year, depending on weather and breeding conditions.
As the weather cools, chinch bugs nestle into the upper thatch of your lawn, and overwinter until temperatures rise to an average of 70 degrees.
Scientists believe that the southern chinch bug can live up to one month, which is plenty of time to kick of an infestation. Learning how to identifying a chinch bug infestation can help you stop damages before they grow out of control.
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How To Get Rid Of A Lawn Pest: 4 Common Pests
Most houses are home to more than 100 insect and arachnid species. This is especially surprising, seeing as the average person probably cant even name 100 insect or arachnid species. 100 is quite a few, after all, and there are roughly 1 million others in the world.
With so many bugs in our homes, it makes you wonder how many live in our backyards. The answer is likely a lot more.
The good news is that most of them dont cause problems, and many of them help keep our homes and lawns in good condition. Some of them eat mold or grime around the house. Others prey on insects that are often considered pests.
Unfortunately, we cant just recruit an army of insects and spiders whenever we have an infestation. The good news is that with lawn pests, there may already be an army waiting.
Even if there isnt, there are ways we can personally handle them. Well talk about some common pests and how to deal with them in this article.
When To Apply Grub Worm Treatment
Once lawn grubs have been detected and treatment is necessary, you need to know when to apply grub worm treatment. The best time for treating grub worms is in late summer or early fall while the grub worms are still small and close to the surface.
Grub worms are less susceptible to treatment in the spring, as they are too large and no longer feeding. For this reason, insecticides are less effective. Spring rains can also make this difficult, as applications may be washed away.
When choosing insecticides for lawn grubs, its important to consider the various types. For fall treatment, Dylox is the most effective and fast acting available. However, two products worth consideration for use early in the season, Merit and Mach-2, can be helpful for prevention. These target the pests before they lay their eggs, killing them and any hatchlings before an infestation occurs. Always read and follow instructions carefully when using these types of products.
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How To Identify And Get Rid Of Lawn Pests
An evenly green, thriving lawn is a beautiful thing. Its every homeowners dream, but a lot of times it remains just that, a dream. There are many reasons why your lawn may not be living up to your expectations. It can be something harmless and easy to fix like not following the simple dos and donts of lawn care, or it can be something more serious like a pest infestation. Heres some ideas about how to identify and get rid of lawn pests.
Pest infestations can destroy a lawn in a matter of days. We want to make sure you know how to identify one as soon as possible and what to do if one occurs.
