You live in Florida. There are insects, pests, bugs, plant diseases, annoying six and eight-legged creatures that will drive you crazy. It will drive you a little less crazy if you acknowledge and accept the fact that no matter how perfectly your landscape is treated, you will still have to deal with pests.
Now that you’ve started there and taken your deep breath let’s see what you CAN do to keep your pest population at a minimum in your landscape. To figure out a course of action to wage war on those pests, it’s essential to know who is invading your landscape, what damage they can do, and then get a game plan together.
What bugs are common to our area?
Florida is the land of a million bugs. This blog would be much, MUCH longer if we were to list all the pests native to the Sunshine State. We can narrow down to a few that are very common to plaguing Florida properties’ homes and landscapes.
It’s summer, and you desire nothing more than to take a walk barefoot around your yard, through your lush, green grasses. Except, you know that if you stand in one spot too terribly long, you will end up with tiny painful blisters all over your feet and legs from the dreaded fire ant bite.
We Floridians like to tell ourselves that palmetto bugs or water bugs are not the same as a cockroach because Ewww. Unfortunately, we are deluding ourselves as they are indeed part of the cockroach family and all over Florida.
The ultimate destruction for your home can come in the form of a small bug, often made nearly invisible. Termites have become infamous for causing millions of dollars in damage to American homes. Since moisture is their friend, there are many places here in Florida for them to make their home. The worst part about termites is you don’t even know you have an infestation until it’s too late.
How do pests affect my yard?
Whether it be from the tiniest fire ant to a tick to a burrowing rat, pests can affect your landscape in a variety of negative ways. Some pests can add value to a landscape, but those are farther and fewer between.
Some pests can burrow into the soil deep enough to cause severe damage to the root system of the plants that you want to keep. Some pests live on the surface, destroying the leaves and petals of the gorgeous flowers in your flower beds. Some pests can even spread plant diseases throughout your grasses, killing your yard off slowly but surely.
Mole crickets, billbugs, and chinch bugs all work diligently to destroy your landscape by killing off your grass at its roots. Whether they’re sucking out essential nutrients and liquid from the stems or injecting a toxin into the roots, these pests can destroy your grass just as surely as you not maintaining your grass can.
What are the best treatment methods?
The approach to treat any pest infestation on your landscape or home is varied and depends significantly on your property individually. Each property has its unique features and must be evaluated accordingly for appropriate treatment measures.
In some cases, a trap is going to be your best option. Traps work very well depend on the type of pest we are trying to eradicate. Some of the more significant pests, like rodents, respond very well to trapping and removal.
For some pests, traps are simply not enough and require the use of certain pesticides to get the job done well. However, not all pesticides are universal, and particular pesticides may need to be used dependent on the pest infestation. The amount, type, and side effects must be taken into consideration when choosing an insecticide or a pesticide.
When is the best time to treat insects and pests?
The best way to treat pests is to treat the area before they even make their arrival. Getting ahead of an infestation is always going to be better than treating an infestation itself. Proactivity, in this case, rules all.
Often many pests lay dormant throughout the winter months, even here in the Sunshine State. Thus, it’s usually best to pretreat for any pests around your home in the early spring. Many of the pests in Florida are attracted to the high humidity in the summer and fall months. So if you desire to get ahead of the infestation, spring is your time to do it.
Sometimes treating early simply isn’t enough. Anytime an infestation already exists is a good time to call an expert to evaluate the situation and help you plan an appropriate course of action.
Who ya gonna call? (To get rid of pests, not ghosts – please don’t call us for those!)
While many people enjoy certain aspects of maintaining their landscaping, like taking care of the flower beds on a nice mild spring day in Florida, no one wants to deal with a pest infestation. There are much better things that you could be doing with your time than trying to wrangle and clear out insects and other pests from your home.
Luckily it is not something that you need to do on your own or at all. Jason, our expert on the ground regarding pest control, is a true pro at ridding your home of the nasty invaders that Florida has to offer. As part of the Premier team, Jason and his crew will come to your home and check out what’s plaguing you. From there, he will help treat or hopefully pretreat your landscape and home – bugs be GONE!
Premier Lawn Care is proud to serve the residents of Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, and High Springs, FL, with effective, efficient, and top-notch services in pest control, lawn treatments, lawn maintenance, and much more. Our team is proud of our communities and wants to partner with you in keeping them beautiful places to live. Contact us today for a free estimate!
