Achieving a green, healthy lawn is an already difficult process that is made even more challenging by the constant threat of pests. We can control certain things about our lawn, such as watering, mowing, and fertilizing, but wildlife and insects are much harder to manage. Though not always entirely preventable, there are still plenty of solutions to drive away these critters and allow your yard to flourish. Continue reading to learn more about some common pests and how to best repel them!

Moles

Yes, these little critters are cute but they are even more threatening to your lawn. The presence of a mole will wreak havoc on your roots and plants, plus their underground tunneling will push up unsightly mounds of soil in their quest for food. Fortunately, chasing away moles is relatively easy. We recommend soaking some old rags in olive oil or castor oil, then stuffing them into every hole you can find that has been dug up by a mole. This won’t hurt the moles, they just hate the smell and will vacate your yard!

Armyworms

As the name implies, armyworms swarm together to do battle with your lawn. These pests feed on grass and plants for two to three weeks before turning into moths, often leaving behind brown patches where they were feeding. Armyworms mostly take shelter from the sun during the daytime and come out at night to eat, which makes them harder to detect. When invasions are heavy, your lawn will have the appearance of movement. Fight off these insects by soaking your lawn with tick killer formula.

Chinch Bugs

These insects are tiny, usually a half inch long, which makes it difficult yet again to identify their presence. Though they themselves may be hard to spot, their destruction is much easier to see. Chinch bugs are sap-sucking insects that suckle on grass blades for sustenance and secrete an anticoagulant which causes grass to stop absorbing water. As a result, your lawn will have patches of dry, dead grass. Remove these creatures from your yard by removing all thatch and properly aerating your lawn, making it a less desirable place for them to live.

Japanese Beetles

Unlike some of their other pesky counterparts, Japanese beetles stand out due to their green and gold shells, making it much easier to pick them out. However, it is their grubs which are problematic, and those tiny pests are virtually invisible. Their presence will be announced by the appearance of patches of dead grass, as they eat at grass roots for survival. To get rid of the beetles, we suggest wearing gloves and simply plucking them from their perches and dropping them into a bucket of soapy water. As far as their grubs go, employ a product known as milky spore which will kill the grubs and create new spores in the soil to terminate the other grubs as well.

The list goes on and on, but this is a starting point for many of the common pests that will inhabit your lawn this year. Keeping your grass green and healthy is a battle beyond pruning your trees and trimming the hedges, but it can be done with many household products and some time! For assistance maintaining the health of your Port Orange or New Smyrna yard, contact the lawn care specialists at Leafy Landscapes. We offer a wide array of services ranging from shrub trimming to tree trimming, as well as mowing services, to ensure that your lawn receives the proper maintenance it deserves.