You could have all the curb appeal in the world and lose it in a flash if bugs feed on your lawn like it’s a buffet. Recognizing the most damaging insects that destroy your yards alerts you to which ones are the worst and how you can eliminate them.
White Grubs
Grubs may be in the immature stage of becoming a beetle or chafer, but they can wreak havoc on your beautiful lawn. Grubs use the grassroots as their feeding ground, turning your once luscious green yard into a dry barren of dead, yellow grass. Besides the discoloration of the grass, another potential sign that there’s a grub infestation is when animals like moles, birds, and skunks rummage around.
Preventative measures are the best strategy for preventing grubs from affecting your property. Products containing chemical components like thiamethoxam and chlorantraniliprole lay the groundwork for ensuring the grubs don’t appear in the summer. If there is still a problem, more urgent pesticides like trichlorfon and carbaryl may be your best bet.
Ticks & Fleas
Ticks are harmful little critters that can do more than damage your yard. These little nuisances can bring serious illnesses to you and your furry friends. Ticks cling to pets as they explore your yard, so tick control is imperative for all pet owners.
Regarding ticks’ influence on humans, they can transmit Lyme disease, which no one wants to experience. Opting for a service to eradicate fleas and ticks ensures that they don’t hide in the shadows, as does mowing the lawn consistently.
Chinch Bugs
Chinch bugs inflict significant lawn damage by cutting grass blades with piercing mouths. When the bugs gnaw on the lawn, they suck out the leaf fluids, killing the grass. While eating, the bugs also produce a poison that may harm the grass.
Because chinch bugs love to operate in the heat, it can be challenging to determine if you have a bug problem or if your lawn is dry from the sweltering heat. Dethatching your yard removes many elements that chinch bugs feast on, as can mowing the grass to the correct height.
Japanese Beetles
When the grubs grow up to live their best lives as the Japanese beetle, your lawn and garden will pay for it. These six-legged irritants will set their eyes (or antennae) on your exquisite lawn and elegant garden. One way to minimize their impact is handpicking them off your flowers and plants. Killing a few of them could signal to their other beetle friends that if they march forward, their fate could be next, causing the population to scatter.
Controlling the most damaging insects that destroy your yard may take extra effort, but looking at random patches of brown grass is an eyesore. By eliminating these tiny pests, you can achieve your goal of being the neighbor with a perfect lawn.