If you’ve been feeding and watering your lawn regularly but still seeing brown spots or signs of drought damage, lawn pests could be the culprit. At Turf Tactics, we are your source for all things lawn care, including lawn pest control in Spring Hill. Read on for more information about lawn pests, the threat they pose to yards they infest, what attracts them, and what you can do to put a stop to lawn pests before they destroy your yard.
What Are Lawn Pests?
The term “lawn pest” can be used to describe any number of different wildlife and insects, but the common factor among them is that they are disastrous to the grass and turf they infest. While they affect different yards in different ways, one thing remains constant: having lawn pests means damage to the health and beauty of your yard.
There are a number of harmful lawn pests found around Spring Hill, including:
- Chinch bugs
- Grubs
- Mole crickets
- Tropical sod webworms
Florida chinch bugs feed on the grass stems, sucking the blades dry while simultaneously injecting toxins that kill the grass, resulting in scattered spots of dry, dead grass littered across your lawn. Grubs are the larval form of certain beetle species that likewise feed on the grass as they develop, creating irregularly-shaped brown patches and turf that peels up from the soil due to the depleted root structure. Like their animal namesake, mole crickets tunnel through the earth of yards they occupy, disrupting the soil and leaving spongy brown spots in their wake. Similar to grubs, sod webworms are moth larvae that feed on grass, creating small brown spots that rapidly grow and intersect as the weather warms up.
How Much Damage Can Pests Do To A Lawn?
Lawn pests can have catastrophic effects on the overall health of your lawn. Because of the way they sap nutrients from the grass and root structure, lawn pests can rapidly age lawns, killing grass before its time and leaving an unsightly mess where your beautiful lawn once stood.
Part of the problem is that these pests are all relatively minuscule and are often physically hidden within the grass they infest so that you can’t see the pest itself with your naked eye. This means that often, you don’t realize a lawn pest infestation is underway until you’ve already started seeing signs of damage to your lawn. Consequently, by the time you’re even aware you have a problem, severe damage has already occurred, making it that much more difficult to repair.
Making matters worse, sometimes homeowners see the brown spots forming on their lawns and come to the conclusion that they must not be watering enough. However, because the damage is actually caused by pests and not dehydration, adding more water to the situation not only doesn’t fix the damage but can actually make the problem worse, introducing excess moisture and creating conditions that can invite new pests into the mix.
What Attracts Lawn Pests To A Yard?
While lawn pests can technically strike anywhere at any time, there are a number of factors that make certain lawns more susceptible to infestation than others. For example, while grubs will feed on just about any lawn, they are particularly attracted to ryegrasses due to their bunch-like growth patterns which make them appear like a buffet to a grub.
Seasonality also affects lawn pest activity, although this varies by pest. For example, grub activity is most commonly seen in summer and early fall, while mole crickets are typically most active in the spring.
Another factor is exposed soil. For soil-burrowing insects like mole crickets, patches of exposed soil across the lawn will light up like homing beacons for these pests, telling them exactly where they need to strike to get what they want.
Unfortunately, the ultimate answer to the question, “What’s attracting lawn pests to my yard?” is simple: anything. Sometimes, homeowners that have taken every reasonable precaution can still end up with lawn pests through no real fault of their own. Nevertheless, when lawn pests strike, it’s imperative that you take steps to stop them as quickly as possible.
How Do You Get Rid Of Lawn Pests?
If lawn pests have started creating unsightly patches and killing the grass on your lawn, there’s only one reliable solution: contact a professional for help.
The team at Turf Tactics is your source for all things lawn maintenance, including lawn pest control. We know all the lawn-infesting pests that call Spring Hill home, and we know exactly how to stop them. Employing a potent mix of pest control solutions that are hard on pests but easy on grass, we can make any lawn pest presence you’re facing a thing of the past.
Don’t leave your yard at the mercy of bugs, grubs, worms, and other pests. Contact us today for expert lawn pest control and professional lawn care solutions in Spring Hill and the surrounding areas of Florida.