When it comes to keeping your Florida lawn or landscape green, it’s not always easy. With nature comes insects and other pests that feed on your plants and trees, stealing their vibrancy along with the nutrients that keep them alive and healthy. Blue Landscaping and Contracting Group pinpoints some of the most common pests encountered by our customers in Estero, Bonita springs, Naples, and Marco Island, and how to deal with them.
Armyworms
A frequent Florida pest, armyworms look like brown caterpillars with a tan belly. They mature into small, reddish brown moths whose wings span approximately 4 centimeters in length. They like to feed on grain crops and Bermuda grass, but have been known to consume fruit, vegetables, and the nectar of various flowers. They are especially common on golf courses.
Due to nocturnal activity, armyworms are hard to spot, but left unmanaged they will skeletonize your foliage. If you have crops, we recommend examining them for larvae at dawn or dusk, as that is when armyworms are most active. Adult armyworms can be caught using pheromone or black light traps.
Fire Ants
Anyone who has lived in Florida long enough is familiar with the dreaded fire ants. They’re small, red ants with a fiery bite that is as painful as it is aggravating. Their colonies can swell up to 250,000, and they are highly aggressive, stinging unlucky intruders repetitively if they invade their territory.
An infestation is pretty easy to recognize. Fire ants construct sand mounds that are often found in backyards and grassy landscapes. The best way to dispose of fire ants is by hiring pest control professionals.
Southern Chinch Bug
The southern chinch bug is known for its severe damage of lawns in Florida’s central and southernmost counties. An adult southern chinch bug measures about six millimeters in length and has a black body with white markings. These creatures also have wings, but don’t seem to utilize them often. They can travel up to 400 feet an hour, leaving discolored, circular patches across your lawn.
They’re especially common in lawns with dry or shell-based soil, and will consume your grasses’ sap until it withers. Southern chinch bugs are another pest that you will want to call in a pest control specialist to manage.
Pest Control Treatments
Blue Landscaping and Contracting Group has a lawn and ornamental spray division that can treat pest and other plant problems with treatment programs that can reduce pests through mechanical, physical, or cultural methods. We treat outbreaks while helping prevent new ones so your lawn or landscape can remain lush and green all year long.
Do you have a pest problem? Give us a call today at 239-566-BLUE!