Pest Control Blog and Resources

Guest Post by Alexandra Arcand Imagine this: You’re just trying to enjoy your home, relax and unwind, and suddenly, the unthinkable happens. A bug wiggles its way out from some unseen crevice and you instantly panic. It doesn’t belong here. Your home is clean. You sweep your floors and take the trash out. You don’t leave food lying around. Why in the world did this gross little creature decide to take up residence in your home? And even worse, how many friends did he bring along with him? Bugs in your home can make you feel embarrassed, ashamed, or evcen dirty. But the reality is plenty of people have bugs in their home. Bugs want the same things we want, a warm place to stay with food and water, things your home so conveniently offers. Bugs aren’t ones for social graces either. If they see a place that can give them what they want, they’re going to welcome themselves in. And while we’re all trying to avoid pest control bills and keep our housing budgets in check, there are some inexpensive measures you can take to keep these bugs out. They’ll even give your home a splash of life. These are the best house plants you can keep around to make sure those creepy crawlers find another floor to wiggle across: 1. Basil Basil is a great plant to keep in your home if you’re wanting to repel pesky insects. It helps keep away flies, mosquitos, and spiders. Keeping your basil alive and well is easier than you might think. They typically need about six to eight hours in a nice sunny spot. Keeping the soil moist is also a big factor. Check on your plant every day or so with a finger to the soil. If it feels dry, give your plant a little water. Bonus, basil is also amazing in food! So, you’re not only keeping those bugs away, but getting some awesome flavor while you’re at it. Basil seeds are easy to find on sites like Amazon and other online retailers, so there’s no stress getting started with this low-maintenance herb. 2.  Chrysanthemums Chrysanthemums are not only beautiful to look at; they’re also a huge help in keeping the bugs away. Chrysanthemums repel roaches, ants, ticks, lice, and bedbugs. They’re a great help to have around the house. These plants can thrive in low light when kept inside, but make sure to take proper watering care. Water them below their leaves and make sure not to give them too much. There are all kinds of flower delivery companies that will have these beauties in stock, so you’ll never have to worry about planting them from seeds. 3. Lavender With lavender's wonderful calming scent and beautiful color, there are plenty of reasons to keep it around your home. Lavender also repels spiders, fleas, mosquitoes, and flies.  Keeping your lavender alive requires some attention, as this plant does need a good amount of sunlight and fresh air. It also needs the soil to dry between watering, but be careful not to let it get too dry or the lavender will begin to wilt.  This plant is a bonus because it also has anti-inflammatory benefits, promotes better sleep, and can relieve headaches. So, while you relax with your lavender, take an extra deep breath knowing it’s keeping bugs at bay. 4. Catnip You might not be a cat lover, but this plant has some amazing benefits for your kitty-free home. However, if you are a cat lover, you might enjoy having this plant around just as much as your furry friend does.  Catnip contains an essential oil that is extremely powerful at repelling mosquitoes. This oil, called nepetalactone, is ten times more effective at repelling mosquitoes than the leading ingredient in bug sprays.  This plant is good for more than repelling mosquitoes, though. It’s also good at keeping cockroaches and flies away. To keep this plant alive and working its magic, be sure to place it in a nice sunny spot and give it a steady supply of water. You can always find catnip seeds on sites like eBay and other online retailers.  5. Mint Mint is a great plant to keep in your home because it’s a two for one. Not only does mint have potential for great things like helping to relieve indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome, it also helps repel bugs.  Insects like flies, fleas, spiders, and ants don’t enjoy mint’s aroma so they will stay away if you keep this plant around your house. To thrive, your mint plant will need plenty of good sunlight and evenly moist soil. Make sure to check on your plant and water when the soil begins to feel dry. 6. Citronella If you have a problem with mosquitos, we’ve found your answer. Similar to the candles found in stores, but much safer for you to use, the citronella plant works wonders at keeping the little bloodsuckers away. Mosquitos are not fond of the odor this plant produces, thus making them steer clear of your home if citronella is around.  To keep your citronella plant alive and kicking, make sure it has plenty of sunlight and don’t let it get too hot. When watering, be careful not to over water. Check the soil often and water once it begins to feel dry to the touch. 7. Rosemary Rosemary is great if you’re wanting to keep away spiders, flies, and mosquitoes; they find this herb's aroma to be off putting. Not to mention, there are tons of recipes in your cookbook that would benefit from some fresh rosemary getting thrown in.  If you want to keep your rosemary thriving, avoid overheating it, but make sure to give it six to eight hours of good sunlight a day. When the soil for the plant is completely dry, it’s time to water again. Just be sure not to over water. 8. Lemon balm If you have fruit flies or spiders, you need lemon balm. This plant repels both while also being a great addition to your kitchen. It can be used for a hint of lemon to your drinks or meals.  Lemon balm does not require strong sunlight to thrive, but five or so hours a day will not hurt it either. When watering, make sure to saturate the roots of the plant and then water again when the top of the soil becomes dry. Alexandra Arcand writes for ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and has a passion for gardening. Although her knowledge of plants is large and ever expanding, her gardening skills continue to remain amateur. 

If grubs are munching on the roots of the grass in your yard despite proper maintenance, you might feel like you’re fighting a losing battle. However, there is hope for grub control and for your dying grass. Understanding grubs’ life cycle is key to halting lawn damage and preventing the next generation from killing your grass next summer. Lawn-eating grubs are the larvae of a number of scarab beetle species within the Phyllophaga genus. Most scarab beetles have a one-year life cycle and produce white grubs annually, including Japanese beetles, Green June beetles, and Masked Chafer beetles. Black turfgrass Ataenius beetles can produce two generations in a year. June bugs, also known as June beetles or May beetles, have approximately a three-year life cycle. Knowing what happens in each year of the June bug’s life cycle can help you effectively curb the lawn destruction that comes with the larval stage. Year One Picture a warm June evening: tiny, smooth, pearly-white eggs buried one to eight inches deep in your soil hatch into tiny, white, c-shaped creatures with brown heads. The larvae emerge and spend the summer feeding on the roots of your grass and other vegetation growing from the moist soil in your full-sun lawn areas. However, the bugs are only ¼ inch long by the end of the summer — too small to cause any noticeable damage to your grass. As the ground cools in the fall, the larvae move deeper into the soil to survive the cold winter months. Year Two In sync with the warmer weather of spring, the small grubs emerge from dormancy and resume feasting on the roots of your grass. But this time, their bodies and appetites are bigger and the damage is apparent by midsummer. Signs of the wreckage include spongy-feeling, irregular patches of brown grass, dry turf that can roll up like carpet. Grubs might be attracting critters, such as raccoons, skunks, moles, and other rodents that tear up your grass to get to the grubs. As the soil cools, they go down below soil level once again. Year Three The larvae return to the surface of your soil as it warms the following spring, feeding until they are fully grown. Once they are fully grown, they retreat back underground to form earthen cells and pupate. After that process is complete, they remain in the soil in their new adult form until the weather is warm again, when they emerge as recognizable, flying, light-loving beetles to mate, burrow eggs in the soil, and eventually die. The cycle begins again as the new larvae hatch about three weeks after eggs are laid. Treating Lawn Grubs Healthy grass can withstand the presence of some grubs in the larval stage. But if a 1x1-square-foot grass and soil cross-section contains more than ten grubs, the lawn should be treated against continued infestation. If it contains six to nine grubs, you probably want to treat your lawn, especially if grass is beginning to show signs of damage. The key to treating grass for grubs is the timing of the insecticide, which is most effective when grub larvae are small and closer to the surface. The precise months of the larval and pupal stages can vary based on the particular beetle species and region, but for most places, July and August is the best time. Preventative applications can also be applied in late May or June. A pest control company that provides lawn grub treatments is your best ally in determining the best course of action for your particular lawn and region. And it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about the life cycles of grubs and other interesting facts about a grub’s life.

Ah, summer. For many of us, ‘tis the season for backyard barbecues, running barefoot through sprinklers, and enjoying the fruits of our labors in vegetable or flower gardens. However, it’s also a time when outdoor pests such as grubs and chinch bugs can wreak havoc in our yards, sabotaging our efforts to maintain beautiful lawns and gardens. If you’ve noticed sections of yellow, brown, or dry grass in your yard, it could be a sign of these unwelcome guests. But if you’re not quite ready to call in professionals to assess your yard for pests, here are some potential problems to rule out along with solutions to try: 1. Water smarter  Periods of drought will obviously take a toll on otherwise-thriving grass. But if you notice that your neighbor’s yard seems to be faring better than yours despite the environmental conditions, troubleshooting your watering system may do the trick. Test your automatic sprinkler system for gaps in coverage and replace broken sprinkler heads. Change your watering schedule from frequent, shallow waterings to a heavy watering once or twice a week, allowing water to deeply penetrate the soil. It is better to water early in the day, so the water penetrates the soil but blades of grass do not remain wet for an extended time. 2. Test soil quality Sometimes a difference in grass coloration within the same area can be attributed to roots or debris affecting the soil quality as well as compacted soil from foot traffic. If you think that might be the case, test the soil hardness of a spot with green grass compared with that of the brown grass using a rake or shovel. If trees are nearby, a root system could be interfering with that particular section of soil. Rocks, sand, chunks of cement, or other debris could also be beneath the surface. To remedy this problem in large sections of grass, you can aerate the soil, add quality organic matter, and reseed. For smaller sections, simply top dress the grass with ½ inch of quality soil and spread until grass ends are visible. 3. Eliminate weeds Even with seemingly abundant water and healthy soil quality, would-be lush grass can wither when pesky weeds steal water and nutrients. Pulling weeds manually is a good place to start for the short-term, but getting the roots up can prove difficult, so preventative action for future seasons is more effective. Prevent weed seeds from germinating with a do-it-yourself pre-emergent herbicide or work with a professional lawn care company. 4. Mow with care  If you’ve noticed your lawn health began declining when mowing season began, your mowing habits could be a factor. Do the edges of your grass blades have split ends that are brown and dry? Dull mower blades could be the culprit, so replace blades for a clean cut. And be aware that cutting a lawn too short can cause stress, weakening your grass. As a general rule, never remove more than ⅓ of the total grass blade at one time, and keep your grass at least 3 inches long.  5. Dilute waste or spills Gasoline spills, chemical spills, salt residue from ice melt, and animal urine can sometimes account for patches of dead grass. Aside from attempting to minimize future grass contact, it can help to frequently flush the affected area with water to dilute the acid, saline, or other contaminating substance. Incorrect use of fertilizer can also mess with lawn health, such as bad timing, uneven application, or spills, so if you’re applying it or other treatments yourself, do so with care. 6. Treat disease Disease-causing fungi are something no homeowner wants to deal with, but it may be your reality if you’ve observed unusual lawn symptoms such as stunted growth, leaf lesions or brown patches, bleached turf, or fairy ring. To avoid spreading a fungus, mow unaffected areas first and clean blades after mowing diseased areas. And while it is preferable to prevent disease (by aerating and dethatching your lawn and other lawn maintenance procedures) than treat it, fungicides can kill certain diseases. For optimal chances of success in eradicating disease, have your grass properly diagnosed by a lawn care professional or take a sample of the diseased grass to your local university extension office, run by the land grant university in each state. Many states’ extension programs run turf diagnostic tests for a small fee. 7. Eradicate insects If you’ve ruled out some or all of the problems listed above, chances are good that lawn pests are lurking in your previously-pristine grass. The list of potential lawn pests is long enough to make anyone’s skin crawl, but some pests can be ruled out based on the region in which you live. Chinch bugs and mole crickets attack warm-season grasses (such as St. Augustine grass and zoysia grass) primarily in the South, including tropical areas, but also appear in the desert Southwest, Mountain West, and High Plains. European crane flies heavily infest cool-season grasses (such as fescue grass and Kentucky bluegrass) of the Pacific Northwest but can also be found in New York, Ohio, Wisconsin, and New England. Grubs, or the larval form of a number of beetles, infest all regions of the United States, feeding on the roots of grasses from spring until fall. To test for grubs yourself, try to lift a piece of your dry grass. If the piece of grass comes up easily and can roll up like a carpet, it’s likely that grubs have eaten the grassroots. By cutting out a cross section of the grass and soil, you’ll probably see the ½ inch white grubs munching away happily. The best time to treat lawn grubs is between midsummer and early fall, when grubs are immature. Otherwise, the grubs will mature and mate, laying more eggs, which grow into more grubs. If you’re dealing with grubs or another insect problem, look into getting a lawn-specific pest control company on your side so you can enjoy luscious green grass again!