At different times of the year, there will be different garden pest infestations. That is why you need to consult garden and lawn maintenance services to know what pest is bothering your garden in fall.
If you think you have a pest problem in your lawn, call us. With so many pests being native to southwest Louisiana, it is most likely that you will be dealing with one kind of pest in the lawn, another in the garden and so on. With the help of our lawn care company, it should be easy to identify the kind of pest invasion in your home garden.
Most common types of fall garden pests in southwest Louisiana
Grub worms
There are different species of grub worms. The most common in southwest Louisiana are the C-shaped white larvae of the species Cyclocepha hirta or the C. pasadenae. These hatch from the eggs of the Japanese Beetle, laid in summer.
They hide deep in the soil and they feed on the roots of your plants. You could have a lovely green garden and then start noticing some plants losing their color, and eventually wilting and dying.
If you have grubs in your lawn, they can spread to your garden easily. In any case, you still do not want the grubs chewing on your grass roots. While other worms, such as earthworms help make the soil soft and easy for plant roots to penetrate and spread, grubs are harmful with no benefit in your garden. You have to get rid of them.
Signs of grub worm infestation
Your grass or plants will start having droopy leaves. You could also have brown patches appearing in your lawn. You will realize that there are different shades of green in your lawn. That is an indication of grub worm infestation. However, most people confuse such sign with lack of enough nutrients and water.
The ground starts feeling spongy and springy when you walk on it. If you step a little too forcefully, you can cause it to cave in. That is an indication of very serious grub invasion. Also be on the lookout for sudden unexplained death of shrubs, grass, flowers and other plants. Lastly, if your start noticing animals like armadillos, moles and other rodents and pests, look out for grubs because these animals feed on them.
Armyworms
In Louisiana, there are two types of armyworm. True armyworms are mostly found in northern Louisiana while fall armyworms are found all over the state.
Armyworm is a common fall garden pest in Louisiana. The females lay eggs on just about any surface, but mostly on the grass blades. In several days, the eggs hatch into larvae and in less than 14 days, they will have grown to full adults.
Unless you actively go looking for the armyworm indications, it can be hard to know you have them in your lawn because they do not consume a lot. However, they will stay in one place until they exhaust the food resources there and then they will migrate en masse to another field. This means that by the time you realize you have armyworm, serious defoliation will have taken place.
Lawn maintenance services advise homeowners to check the grass carefully for any small green pellets. These are the fecal matter of the fall armyworm. However, even this can be hard to miss sometimes, especially if you are busy and are hardly at home.
You should also look for clipped grass blades. This is a sure indication of fall armyworm. Another thing to look out for is brown patches of grass. If you also notice a worm that curls into a C-shape when you prod it with a stick, you are, or rather your lawn is under attack.
Fall armyworms are also notorious for boring holes in the stalk of grass. Thus, you should watch your Bermuda grass carefully for such signs.
Get rid of garden pests fast using garden and lawn maintenance services
Once you realize that your lawn and garden have been invaded, you will want to do everything possible to get rid of the grub and armyworms. But as you look for information about this, you may find some sources saying you should use organic methods, and some saying that you should use chemicals.
Confused? Consult professionals to eliminate the guesswork out of the picture. When you call us, we will send lawn maintenance services professionals to your lawn to find out what kind of infestation you have. They will then advise you on the best exterior pest control method.
Be careful with lawn chemicals!
Lawn chemicals can be dangerous if not handled properly. That is another reason why you need professional grass cutting services providers as they will have the means to control the spread of the pesticides. Lawn chemicals should not get into water bodies, vegetable gardens, storm water drains and human and pet inhabited areas. We advise spraying pesticides in calm weather as wind can spread these chemicals widely.
Before you use any kind of chemical in your garden, you should read the label closely and see whether it is approved for use on the kinds of plants that you have in your garden. You do not want to kill your plants, so take care.
You can see how intricate the process of pest elimination is. That is why you should hire a garden and lawn maintenance services team to mitigate the pest problem before they can cause too much damage. At TCLS, we usually advise our customers to call us as soon as they estimate the grub worm or armyworm damage to be about 5 percent.
