Four Common Pests that Are Ruining Your Backyard

A perfect back and front lawn is definitely something to be proud of. After all, it takes quite a bit of effort, knowledge, and skill to achieve something that’s looking beautiful.
 
But even if you’re giving your all to take care of your yard properly, sometimes pests can come, settle in, and wreak havoc. And that’s when truly shows if you’re an experienced gardener or amateur. 
 
But, knowing what’s the pest that’s settled in your property can help you with you faster getting rid of them and returning to normal. 
 
So, let’s go over the four most common pests that are ruining your yard. And remember, some of them appear because of improper watering and overall caring. 

Chinch Bug
Chinch bugs typically will appear in warmer climates. So, if you’re living somewhere where you rarely see rain, you’ll most likely encounter them. 
 
They usually start to emerge when it’s around 70 degrees out there. If this pest has taken a liking to your lawn, you’ll most likely start to see discoloration in leaf blades. 
 
These bugs are sap-sucking insects that will feed on the nutrition of your lawn. The best way to make sure no chinch bugs will appear is to thoroughly water the lawn during the warmer weather. If you decide to go the pesticide route, make sure to consult with a professional gardener before that.

Curl Grubs
The exact opposite to the chinch bug, it’s the curl grub. Your lawn will usually suffer from a curl grub infestation when there’s a decomposing matter on the yard, and when you’re overwatering your lawn. 
 
And they can cause some pretty serious damage. But there’s a silver lining. Curl grubs are pretty easy to kill even with the do it yourself methods, so you’ll definitely won’t have any problems 
It seems that Neem Oil works great on them. Apply it mid-summer and you’ll disrupt their growing cycle.

Ants 
While ants are tiny, they definitely are might little creatures. One of the things that immediately pops up into your mind when you think of ants are the hill-mounds they built, it’s definitely far the worst thing they can do to your lawn. 
 
See, ants are also pretty smart colonial creatures, and every colony needs a stable food source to survive. That’s why ants love to farm aphids. They keep them alive and protect them so they can feed on the honeydew aphids produce. 
 
This can be a problem, as ants are known to grow in numbers pretty fast, and you can find yourself with a big problem on your hands. 
 
Diatomaceous earth seems to work when it comes to ant control but keep in mind that it’s hard, requires patience, and at the end of the day, you may be better off hiring a professional to do it for you. 

Billbugs
Definitely the worst one on the list, Billbugs are a nightmare to deal with on your lawn. Why? Well, because the larvae feed on the grass leaf from the underground. This means that even though you see there’s a problem, it’s already too late to deal with it. 
 
Billbugs require a smart approach in order to get rid of them and it’s best done by a professional. It will take a couple of months to be done with the process, so it’s no fast solution, but it’s better than having your lawn destroyed. 
 

Sources:
Lawnstarter
Gardening Know-How
Homestead and Chill
WikiHow