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Turf Pest Control
Lawn and turf pests can be very destructive, and the best course of action is prevention early in the year. Below are the most common pests that we encounter in our customers' lawns. Each of these pests can be treated and prevented. Insect resistance grass-mixes, grub control before the damage occurs in the fall, and close monitoring of your lawn can save your landscape from suffering severe damage.
Grubs:
White grubs, the larvae of Japanese beetles, are perhaps the most destructive pest to your landscape. They will kill the lawn and require it to be replaced. The damage is characterized by brown patches in the lawn. There may also be holes in the yard caused by other animals such as skunks or raccoons digging for the grubs to eat. If the grass is pulled, it will roll back like a layer of carpet instead of being solidly rooted in the dirt.
We are able to treat grubs very effectively with a grub control treatment. It is best to treat them preventively earlier in the year rather than waiting until the fall when damage shows up.
Chinch Bugs:
Chinch bugs are very fond of the heat and cause damage during the hot months of the summer. They can be identified by the white markings on their wings forming an "X" on their backs. The damage, as seen above, is large dead patches of grass.
Chinch bugs can be treated with a surface insect spray.
Billbugs:
Billbug damage usually appears in late-June through August, when summer drought stress is common. Light infestations in lawns often produce small dead spots that look like the turf disease, dollar spot. Sometimes the damage looks like irregular mottling or browning in the turf. Heavy infestations can result in complete destruction of the turf, usually by August. If you grab the damaged areas of grass and pull upward the stalks break easily at ground level and the stems are hollowed out or are full of packed sawdust-like material.
The best way to prevent billbug damage is to introduce a variety of resistance grasses to your lawn. If the infestation is bad, surface insect treatments can be used.