Tips For a Pest-Free Lawn This Summer

Maintaining a green, healthy lawn can be difficult when you have lawn insects actively trying to feed on your grass! Lawn pests are often the culprits behind dying grass and unhealthy lawn growth. Unfortunately, we deal with a number of lawn pests here in the St. Louis MO area. At Blue Chip Pest Services, our lawn care experts are committed to helping our customers achieve the lawn of their dreams without the worry of lawn insects. Read on to learn our top tips for a pest-free lawn this summer!

Common Lawn Pests in Missouri

Lawn insects most commonly live beneath the surface of your grass, which is why it’s hard to know their presence until you notice lawn damage. The most common lawn insects include:

• Chinch bugs attack your lawn by sucking the liquid out of grass blades. In doing so, patches of grass on your lawn will dehydrate, turn yellow, then brown and die.
• Mole crickets feed on and chew through the grassroots, causing your grass to die off. When dealing with mole crickets, your grass will feel spongy when stepped on and be covered with brown patches.
• Grubs are beetle larvae that remain dormant through the winter. In the spring, they make their way toward the surface to feed on grass roots.
• Sod webworms chew through small areas of grass. They create tunnels out of their silky web that will run under the grass. Signs to look for include raggedly-chewed grass and smaller brown spots- around the size of a baseball.
• Armyworms are small caterpillars that grow into moths. The females lay up to a thousand eggs at once in patches of fresh grass. These can hatch as quickly as 2 days. To spot these guys, you’ll want to look on the outside of dead or damaged grass areas.

How to Keep a Pest-Free Lawn

Once you have a lawn insect problem, it can be hard to get rid of them and save the health of your lawn. For that reason, prevention is the key to lawn pest control. Pests are attracted to unhealthy conditions, making it crucial to maintain your lawn and yard to the best of your ability. To keep lawn insects away, follow these tips:

1. Learn how to properly mow your lawn. Long grass that is never cut will attract all types of pests and weeds. Mowing your lawn in a timely manner will deprive lawn insects of food and shelter.
2. Don’t over- or under-water your lawn. Pests of all kinds love moisture. If your lawn is soggy from overwatering, you are sure to create a haven for lawn pests. Learn how to properly irrigate your lawn depending on the season.
3. Pull out weeds on a regular basis. Wild, unkempt weeds attract a number of insects and pests. Weeds also negatively affect the health of your grass, leading to a number of diseases and problems.
4. Fertilize your lawn as needed. Similar to your irrigation system, failing to fertilize your lawn correctly can lead to a plethora of problems. A lawn made unhealthy due to over-fertilization can contribute to pest problems.

Pest-Free Lawns All Year Long

At Blue Chip Pest Services, we know how important it is to keep your lawn in good shape. If you are struggling with lawn insects this summer, give our experts a call. We will help you say goodbye to lawn insect problems for good!