Summer Pests in Southwest Florida

As a property or homeowner in Southwest Florida, you are keenly aware of the implications of the warmer weather that comes with summer. Outdoor functions with family and friends, pool parties, and general relaxation. While summer comes with many pleasures, it also comes with lawn pests. These critters love the heat, and typically make a more prominent appearance. Never good for your landscape, these pests can cause a myriad of problems. Brown spots start appearing, and you begin to question if you or your landscaper is doing something wrong. We like to think that most Florida residents know what they are doing when it comes to lawn care, so oftentimes the problem is pest related. We put together this quick little guide to help you better identify and prevent any pest related problems.

Identification: The Symptoms

When looking for a pest problem, and distinguishing it from improper lawn maintenance practices, there are a few key signs. If you are performing, or having your lawn maintenance performed regularly, brown spots should not be extremely prominent. Obviously, watering could be an issue, but generally speaking, pests are the cause. Signs include but are not limited to: bite markings, yellowing of blades, holes in your soil, and general wilting of your turf. If your turf becomes weakened, this can also be a sign. Your turf should rise back up very quickly when stepped on through typical foot traffic, and if it does not, you may have a pest issue. Now that you have a general idea that pests could be an issue, you must identify the specific pest.

Common Southwest Florida Pests

Here in Florida, we have a few types of lawn pests that are especially common, and you should proactively look out for.

• White Grubs

These beetle larvae are often found burrowed in the uppermost layers of your soil, so they can be hard to spot. They consume your roots, weakening, and eventually killing your turf. The patterns of yellowed turf they create are very irregular, and the affected grass will pull up like a carpet.

• Chinch Bugs

Another extremely common lawn pest, these bugs love St. Augustine grass. These little bugs will suck up all the moisture from your lawn, once again creating patches of yellowing grass. They can be seen on the blades, with a magnifying glass, so they are a little easier to identify. 

• Red Ants

While Red Ants will not directly impact the health of your lawn, the mounds they create can be unsightly, and can grow very quickly. They are also typically poisonous, and their bites can be very painful. Additionally, they spread quickly, and are prone to take cover around hardscaped areas of your property.

• Mole Crickets

These crickets straight up dig down and eat the roots of your turfgrass. This prevents healthy growth of your turf, and can even dislodge your roots. As mole crickets mature they become harder to contain, so they should be identified as early as possible.

Estate Treatment Options

At Estate, we understand the needs of Florida lawns, and employ preventative procedures with our clients, to spot these pests before they become an issue. Should they become a problem, we implement our insect pest management services, utilizing insecticide and fungicide treatments in proper amounts to alleviate the issue. You can be sure of the quality of our pest control, as our Pest Control Technicians are certified in Florida Best Management Practices, and take pride in their pest elimination. You can trust Estate with all of your lawn pest needs.

For more information on how Estate Landscaping can take care of your landscaping needs, give us a call at (239) 498-1187, or send us an email at info@estatelandscaping.com.