Health of a yard is not only threatened by weather and
disease but also by the insects who feed on the grass and plantings, that
affect both health and appearance of a yard. Insects feeding on roots, grass
blades and plantings can result in brown, wilted, or yellowish patches in your
lawn.
Curb Appeal Lawn Carein Simpsonville, SC can help you get rid of beetles, grubs and other pests
with our insect control program which can eliminate damaging pests. Our
tree/shrub care program can prevent pests from causing damage to your ornamental
plants. Spruce up your yard through timely mowing, mulching, and several other
lawn caring activities with us.
Common destructive pests to watch out for:
White Grubs- These are
the larvae of beetles that includes Japanese beetles, May/June beetles and
others. It is mainly in the late summer or early fall that these grubs become
an issue, they lay dormant throughout the winter. They feed on grass roots and
mainly emerge in the summer as beetles and initiate the next generation of
grubs by feeding and laying eggs.
Look out for signs like wilted or brown patches of grass,
spongy lawn, presence of skunks, raccoons or birds searching for grubs to eat,
etc.
Lawn
Caterpillars- In small numbers, caterpillars aren’t damaging, it is only
when the population grows excessively that they turn into a significant issue
for the yard and other plantings. The caterpillars mainly feed on the grass
with the young ones feeding on the upper surface of the grass blades leaving
off-color spots whereas adults eat the entire sections of leaves causing
unsightly brown spots.
A drench test can help determine if they are the culprit.
Chinch Bugs- Chinch
bugs feed on the grass blades causing grass to turn yellowish color, eventually
leading to its death. The chinch bug moves on to the next blade once the grass
dies. The damage caused by chinch bugs tend to appear as patches of brown grass
as they feed on all types of grass. The bugs are born in May, so their
destructive phase starts in early summer as they continue feeding. You’ll not
notice the damage until mid or late summer. People often confuse this
infestation with heat stress, check for chinch bugs by turning over the thatch
and dirt where you see brown grass.
Japanese
Beetles- The Japanese beetle larvae feed on grass, plantings and
roots with the grubs turning into full-fledged adults by July when they crawl
up on to plants, grass and ornamental trees to lay eggs and eat. The eggs hatch
by September and the grubs begin their destructive phase. As the beetles eat
the roots, the grass dies in patches because of impairment in grass’s ability
to take up water and nutrients. When pulling up on your turf, if it lifts
easily- it indicates the roots have been damaged.
Some other pests include Sod webworm, Armyworm, Cutworm, etc.
Now that you are aware of the various pests that threaten your grass, it is
time for you to arm yourself with an effective treatment plan to ensure your
lawn stays healthy and beautiful.
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