You look at your yard and see a strange little hole in the ground- no wait, two!
On top of that, you have patches of dead grass. When did that happen? How did that happen? Few things are more disturbing than seeing something in disrepair.
It’s even worse when you’ve been striving to take such meticulous care of your lawn. It’s your own personal corner of the world!
Honestly, it’s only natural to want to get to the bottom of what’s happening and to learn how to undo the damage. That being said, there are measures you can take to figure out who the culprit is and how to come back from the problems that were caused.
How about we look at five common lawn pests in South Carolina and what you might see if you have an infestation?
Mole Crickets
These little crickets can do a lot of underground destruction. They create tunnels in the soil using their powerful legs to shovel and displace dirt from their immediate path. As a result, this displaced dirt can be found in piles all around your yard. In addition to that, the ground may feel abnormally soft, and newly planted plants and grass may turn yellow or die due to being cut off from nutrients.
Chinch Bugs
Chinch bugs, albeit very small, can wreak havoc on your lawn. These bugs exploit the weakened state of underwatered grass affected by drought. If you start noticing yellow patches of grass that progressively turn brown, you could have a chinch bug infestation. These bugs inject a toxin into the grass blades, which blocks the transport of essential nutrients and water. A small concentration of chinch bugs in your yard is normal, but they can quickly overrun your beautiful lawn if not kept in check by their natural predators. This spells trouble!
Spittlebugs
In general, Spittlebugs are not the world’s worst insect. Spittlebugs will use their needle-like teeth to feed on the juices found in grass and plants. While Spittlebugs, in low concentrations, are not necessarily damaging, having too many of them in one spot can be extremely harmful to your grass. Since they feed off of your greenery, you may notice unfortunate dead plants and dead patches of grass as a result.
Japanese Beetles
What is that sound? These noisy insects attack shrubs and trees. It’s the Japanese Beetle larvae that attack your grass at the roots. This leads to dead patches of grass and bare trees limbs/branches. If you begin noticing your plants taking on a skeletal appearance, don’t delay in addressing this concern. Not only do Japanese Beetles work quickly, but they reproduce by the hundreds, as well.
Sod Webworms
We’ve all seen a white little moth flying at grass-level before. They look harmless enough, and this is mostly true. The harm to your lawn comes from the larvae. Not only do these larvae eat the grass, but they gather the grass to store in their little burrows for a food source as they grow. Therefore, bare/dying patches of grass are a solid indicator that you have a Sod Webworm infestation. Like some of the previously mentioned insects, a small population of these insects in your yard won’t be enough to do any obvious damage. It’s when you have too many that you should consider taking action.
Revisiting our original thought, nothing hurts more than seeing your gorgeous lawn suddenly in a compromised state. It’s disruptive to the grass, of course, but also to your peace of mind. Your safe haven feels invaded! Just know that hope is not lost. In each of these cases of infestation, it’s important to get these pests under control with the help of your local pest control/exterminator. They will work with you to reclaim your yard and prevent future infestations.
When it comes to dealing with the aftermath, however, T/M Maintenance would be thrilled to help you get your yard back in shape! As the “T/M” in our name suggests, trust matters, and lawn care/maintenance is our specialty. Drop us a line at (803) 602-2623 or submit a site visit request at our website to restore your yard to its pristine condition once again.