Lawn Pests You May Encounter in the Fall

During the fall months, the focus on lawn care can shift away from frequent mowing as the rate of your lawn's growth slows down. While your grass is preparing to go dormant for the winter months, it is essential to focus on preventative care to keep your lawn pest-free and capable of receiving as much sunlight as possible. Pests can wreak havoc on a lawn if left to their own devices, making it harder for your grass to come back as vibrant and green as it was before winter came. Here are just a few of the pests you may encounter while protecting your lawn this fall, and how the damage they cause can be mitigated:

Dealing with Moles

Moles are small burrowing mammals whose bodies are especially adapted to living underground and hunting for bugs such as grubs. The mole's strong claws help it dig away at the soil, creating tunnels underground.

As moles burrow into your lawn, you may be able to notice them from their volcano-shaped tunnel entrances, which differ from other burrowing mammals, or by the raised areas of grass in lines above the moles' tunnels.

In some ways, moles can be beneficial to a lawn if they are relatively controllable. Moles eat grubs, after all, as a primary food source. In fact, one of the best ways to control mole populations is by controlling grubs.

Managing Grubs

Grubs are the rotund, worm-like, white, curved larvae of beetles. They make meals of grass roots during the early fall and spring months, and then burrow deeper into the soil in the winter. You may notice wilted or brown patches of grass that can be easily lifted away during the spring and summer – as well as an increased presence of birds or moles that feast on the pests.

Managing grubs is accomplished by way of treatments that address the grub population, but do not harm the lawn itself. Applying a treatment especially formulated for grubs is essential during the spring or early summer months, because this will ensure the lawn is treated by the time new grubs hatch and begin their destructive feast.

Regular Care for Preventing Pests

Mow Regularly

Your lawn will likely need to be mowed less often than it did in the summer, but while it is necessary to space out the time between each mow, it is also important to remain consistent with the maintenance task. Lawns that become too long during the fall make for an ideal habitat for unwanted pests.

Maintain Appropriate Moisture Levels

As temperatures cool down, grass begins entering its dormant cycle and less water evaporates during the day, it's important not to overwater your lawn. Creepy crawlies will be drawn to easily accessible moisture, especially puddles on your lawn, and too much moisture on a lawn can lead to fungus or other issues.

Remove and Prevent Weeds

On top of damaging your grass and hurting the aesthetics of your lawn, weeds can also attract pests looking for a food source. Make sure that you continue to remove weeks from your lawn as they crop up, even during the cooler fall months.

Contact Us

Ready to take action against moles, grubs, and other detrimental lawn critters? Contact AgroPro today and make a plan for your lawn's treatment! Call us at 678-445-9990 or fill out the contact form at the link below!