Chinch bugs can be very damaging to lawns in Central Florida. Many home and business owners will first notice dead patches of grass along a driveway, curb, sidewalk or foundation of the building, due to the heat emitted from these objects.
Infestations usually occur where many homes and businesses have St. Augustine grass. Because chinch bugs can fly, it's difficult to keep an area free of chinch bugs if neighbors are not practicing proper pest control.
Here are some tips to help control or eliminate chinch bugs:
1) Thatch removal is important for eliminating conditions favorable for chinch bug survival.
2) Lawns which receive adequate amounts of water throughout the summer are able to tolerate relatively high populations of chinch bugs without sustaining damage. Maintaining adequate moisture will increase the tolerance of turf to feeding damage and will promote beneficial fungi that attack chinch bugs.
3) Mow higher to reduce water stress. Mow at 3 to 3.5 inches height or at the highest setting possible on the lawn mower and never mow more than one-third of the grass off at any one time. It's better to mow high and frequently than to mow short and sporadically.
4) Plant shade vegetation and/or replace the most drought stressed areas with a garden bed or shrub and/or add topsoil or renovate soil in thin soil areas where you want to retain grass.
5) Hire a professional pest control company. Miller Enviro-Care can manage chinch bug populations after major damage has occurred and prevent chinch bug infestations by applying insecticide applications April to mid-May. Providing your lawn with regular pest control will control the subsequent generations from reaching maturity during the summer.
Miller Enviro-Care has over 30 years of combined experience in Pest Prevention, Termite Protection, Irrigation Systems, Sod Supply and Lawn Care Solutions. Based in Oviedo, we are in business to protect the health, food, property and quality of our environment for customers throughout the Orlando area including, but not limited to Winter Springs, Casselberry, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Maitland, Lake Mary, Sanford, Apopka and Winter Park.
Infestations usually occur where many homes and businesses have St. Augustine grass. Because chinch bugs can fly, it's difficult to keep an area free of chinch bugs if neighbors are not practicing proper pest control.
Here are some tips to help control or eliminate chinch bugs:
1) Thatch removal is important for eliminating conditions favorable for chinch bug survival.
2) Lawns which receive adequate amounts of water throughout the summer are able to tolerate relatively high populations of chinch bugs without sustaining damage. Maintaining adequate moisture will increase the tolerance of turf to feeding damage and will promote beneficial fungi that attack chinch bugs.
3) Mow higher to reduce water stress. Mow at 3 to 3.5 inches height or at the highest setting possible on the lawn mower and never mow more than one-third of the grass off at any one time. It's better to mow high and frequently than to mow short and sporadically.
4) Plant shade vegetation and/or replace the most drought stressed areas with a garden bed or shrub and/or add topsoil or renovate soil in thin soil areas where you want to retain grass.
5) Hire a professional pest control company. Miller Enviro-Care can manage chinch bug populations after major damage has occurred and prevent chinch bug infestations by applying insecticide applications April to mid-May. Providing your lawn with regular pest control will control the subsequent generations from reaching maturity during the summer.
Miller Enviro-Care has over 30 years of combined experience in Pest Prevention, Termite Protection, Irrigation Systems, Sod Supply and Lawn Care Solutions. Based in Oviedo, we are in business to protect the health, food, property and quality of our environment for customers throughout the Orlando area including, but not limited to Winter Springs, Casselberry, Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Maitland, Lake Mary, Sanford, Apopka and Winter Park.
No comments:
Post a Comment