As lush as a healthy lawn may look once established, turf provides more than beautiful grass and crisp lines around landscaping beds. Healthy lawns enhance the outdoor living spaces where families spend time with friends, play games, kids can safely ride their bicycles or play outdoors with pets. However, certain lawn pests can wreak havoc on your grass very quickly if you’re not careful.

Grubs and ticks are two lawn pests that every homeowner should know about. Grubs can feed on grass roots and create dead spots on the lawn, while ticks can pose health hazards to humans and pets. Lawn pest control for grubs and ticks plays an important role in keeping your property safe and healthy year-round.

Thankfully, there are steps homeowners can take to prevent large pest problems and avoid severe damage to landscaping.

Identifying Pest Behaviours and Habitat Preferences

Every pest has unique behaviours and habits that make them more likely to thrive in certain conditions. Learning these tendencies is half the battle of creating a healthier lawn.

What Are Grubs?

Simply put, grubs are larvae that hatch from beetle eggs and live underground where they feast on grass roots. While grubs aren’t usually problematic in small numbers, large grub populations can create brown spots on your lawn. This damage occurs because grubs eat away at the roots, preventing your grass from getting proper nutrition and hydration.

Signs You May Have Grubs:

• Dead patches of grass
• Spongy turf
• Carpet-like grass that lifts up easily
• Birds, skunks, or raccoons digging up your lawn

Why Grubs Can Destroy Your Lawn’s Health

Grass cannot live without an ample root system. When grubs eat away at these roots, it stunts your lawn’s ability to take in water and fertilizer. Without healthy roots, your lawn will start to brown and die, especially during drought or heat waves.

Because grub damage resembles many common lawn issues, it’s often hard to identify until your lawn starts dying. That’s why it’s crucial to take preventative measures or catch grub problems early.

What Attracts Grubs To Lawns?

Adult beetles lay their eggs in lawns during the spring and summer. Since they are attracted to healthy grass, several factors can increase grub presence.

• Moisture
• Thick grass
• Overwatering
• No preventative treatment
• Little or no environmental issues

You cannot completely keep grubs away from your lawn. However, keeping your lawn as healthy as possible and using preventative treatments can help keep grub populations low.

Tick Prevention Begins With Understanding These Pests

Where grubs live underground, ticks live above ground, making them a very different pest. While grubs eat your grass’s roots, ticks don’t damage grass at all. Instead, ticks latch onto animals and humans to feed off their blood. Many tick species also carry dangerous diseases.

Ticks like to hide in areas with tall grass and other landscaping elements. You will often find ticks:

• In tall grass
• Under wood piles
• In leaf litter
• Inside dense shrubs
• Around wooded edges
• Where grass meets the shade

Ticks wait on grass or vegetation until a human or animal passes by. They then grab onto the host and crawl upward to feed.

Prevention & Control

Ticks don’t exactly ruin your landscape like grubs, but they can certainly create problems for you and your family. Ticks tend to hide in shady, moist areas of your lawn. Therefore, if your lawn has patches of thick shade where water sits, you might have an even bigger tick problem.

Tick-borne diseases are a real health hazard for homeowners with pets or small children. Reducing your tick population will keep your outdoor spaces safer and more enjoyable.

Ticks tend to be a bigger problem on properties with wooded areas, walking trails, or large fields nearby. Lawns that don’t get cut often or remain unattended are also more susceptible to ticks.

Mowing Helps Prevent Pests & Diseases

Mowing your lawn is one of the best preventative measures you can take for both grubs and ticks. Not only does mowing keep your grass pretty and trimmed, but it also lets you scout for pests and diseases.

Ticks love moisture and hide in tall grass waiting for their next meal. By cutting your grass regularly, you make your lawn less desirable for ticks to live in.

Mowing regularly helps:

• Limit excess moisture
• Increase air circulation
• Hinder tick habitat
• Promote a healthier lawn
• Spot problem areas quicker

Cutting your grass weekly will allow you to catch issues before they become uncontrollable. It also creates an environment that is less appealing to ticks and grubs.

Keep Your Landscape Clean and Dry

Do you have areas of your yard that collect leaves or moisture? Grubs love moisture, so making sure your lawn drains correctly is extremely important.

There are several things you can do to maintain your lawn and keep grubs and ticks away.

• Remove excess leaves or debris
• Keep grass trimmed and cut regularly
• Limit thatch buildup
• Limit excess moisture by improving drainage
• Prune thick bushes or shrubs
• Maintain a healthy lawn year-round

Cleaning up your landscaping beds and allowing your grass to breathe will help limit damage from grubs and ticks.

A Healthy Lawn Is More Resilient

Healthy lawns can fight off pests better than weak ones. Grass with abundant nutrition and water will have stronger roots. While not immune to pest problems, healthy lawns can typically recover from smaller pest problems without major damage.

Some things you can do to maintain a healthier lawn include:

• Mowing your grass to the proper height
• Watering appropriately
• Fertilizing each season
• Aerate when needed
• Maintaining overall health

When to Seek Professional Help

While proper lawn care will help prevent large populations, sometimes you may need a little extra help. If you think your lawn has a grub or tick problem, you may need professional treatment.

When seeking professional grub and tick control, look for companies that:

• Assess your lawn’s health
• Identify pest levels
• Determine potential risk factors
• Offer treatment options
• Provide preventative measures going forward

Like with most pests, the goal isn’t to kill every single grub or tick on your lawn. Instead, it’s about creating an environment that isn’t conducive to their population growth.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Many people don’t realize they have lawn pests until after the damage is done. Unfortunately, by then, grubs may have already eaten away most of the roots of your lawn. Or ticks may have already caused you or your family concern.

Regularly scouting your lawn and using preventative treatments can save you a lot of time and money. Be sure to keep an eye out for any signs of pests during your weekly mow.

Let One Mow Co. Help You Manage Lawn Pests

Having a clean and well-manicured lawn is one of the best ways to prevent pest problems. There are many things you can do to limit damage from grubs and ticks on your property. From proper lawn care to keeping your lawn mowed, every little thing helps.

At One Mow Co., we want to help you keep your lawn looking its best all season long. Our regular mowing service and professional lawn care teams can spot problem areas and discourage pest damage. Contact One Mow Co. today to learn more about how you can protect your lawn from grubs and ticks.