Weeds and Pest Control, Solutions that Work Together
Think it doesn’t matter if you care for your lawn? Think again. Think pest control doesn’t help your lawn? Think again. Two closely related issues are landscaping and pest control. People often don’t realize just how co-dependent the two can be. Many species of insects actually live in weeds. If you’re not caring for your landscaping they’re moving in, and Vice Versa. You may have heard “nature abhors a vacuum”, or an “empty mind is a devil’s playhouse”. Well an uninhabited lawn is like a government sanctioned land claim for insects. If you don’t want them claim jumping on your property you must be vigilant.
Let’s talk about some of the bugs that might want to move into an Arizona lawn.
Fire ants we get them by the mound full and when they come their mounds are pretty noticeable. What’s not noticeable are the damage to the root system underground. This is not a welcome pest as their bites can cause serious swelling in some individuals. Weeds can help to hide the mounds for even longer.
Wormseat away at grass and garden. An unattended and un-sprayed landscape can encourage their waltz through your green patches of lawn and your prize winning garden.
Interestingly Earthworms can be both good and bad. They help to enrich the soil and so are often thrown back into a garden. But, if you have too many they can start to affect the way the garden looks.
Don’t worry about the earwigs. When I was a kid in Arizona we called them pincer bugs. But they never pinched me as a kid. I’m not sure those pincers even work. So too, they’re pretty harmless to your lawn.
The flea is a good reason not to keep weeds. A feral cat may pass through your lawn and flea eggs may escape it’s flea ridden hide only to hang out in your weeds. The eggs can sit there in the weeds for years until someone walks by. Then when they feel the vibration from someone walking they’ll suddenly hatch and it’s flea bomb the house time.
Ticks are similar to fleas. They hide in the weeds and grass. Like fleas, their bites can transmit more nefarious diseases.
The best thing you can do is both eliminate weeds and spray for insects. Take care of your yard and your home.
