| Are annoying pests, insects, or rodents wreaking | | | | Control the adult beetles before they lay too many |
| havoc on your lawn? If so, here's some advice that | | | | eggs by treating them with Diazinon or carbaryl. To |
| should help you find the best way to get rid of | | | | rid your lawn of deposited larvae, apply treatment at |
| anything that is ruining the natural beauty of your | | | | the beginning of summer so that adult billbugs are not |
| lawn. | | | | given the chance to develop. |
| As soon as you notice critters or the evidence they | | | | Chinch Bugs. Adults are identified by their black |
| leave behind, you have to take action. Every | | | | bodies, white wings, and red legs. They start off |
| creature, however, has to be handled differently. | | | | very small but can grow to 1/8-inch long as adults. |
| Armyworms. Caterpillars that attack in large clusters, | | | | Chinch bugs love dry and sunny areas for feeding. |
| these guys eat grass and leave circular patches | | | | They feed throughout their life and leave behind ugly, |
| behind. The armyworm measures about 1 1/2 inches | | | | large yellow or brown patches as they make their |
| long, and has green, tan, or black stripes on its back. | | | | way across your lawn. |
| Look out for these insects from spring through late | | | | Like caterpillars, these insects don't do very well on |
| summer. | | | | lawns that have been properly fed. However, if you |
| Luckily, this critter is easy to control naturally through | | | | do have an infestation, you can get rid of these |
| prevention. Keep your lawn well-maintained by | | | | creatures in June and August with Diazinon or |
| feeding and watering it on a regular basis. It's also a | | | | carbaryl. |
| good idea to apply a slow-release ureaformadelhyde | | | | Cutworms. Part of the caterpillar family, these insects |
| to keep caterpillars controlled. In serious cases, you | | | | are gray or brown in color and can grow up to two |
| may have to use Diazinon to quickly eradicate the | | | | inches long. Their main feeding occurs at night - they |
| problem. | | | | hide under the grass during the day, using it as |
| Billbugs. Black or reddish in color, these insects | | | | protection. These bugs mainly cause lawn problems |
| measure approximately 1/4 to 3/4 inches in length. | | | | by cutting the grass off at the soil line. Problems tend |
| They use their long snout to chew holes in grass | | | | to materialize during the spring until late in the |
| stems. In addition, they deposit eggs in the grass, | | | | summer. Look for small dead spots on your lawn. |
| which means the problem has the potential to grow | | | | If cutworms have only damaged a small area of your |
| over time. When the eggs hatch, the large larvae | | | | lawn, simply control them by puddling water in the |
| that escape begin to feed and puncture the stems | | | | affected area to bring them to the surface. Once |
| and the crowns of the grass. This causes the grass | | | | this is done, all you have to do is collect the bugs and |
| to die in patches and breaks off individual grass | | | | then kill them. For larger problems pesticide application |
| blades at the soil line. | | | | may be necessary. |