Help With Insects and Pests

Keeping Mississauga Lawns Healthy All Season Long

Insects and Pests

With a properly maintained, healthy, organic lawn there are seldom any problems with insects and pests. Occasionally, problems do arise and are easily dealt with by focusing on strengthening the soil and grass.

A lawn with strong, healthy roots can ward off most common issues. The following are some of the very common lawn insects and pests we have seen while grass cutting in Mississauga.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Moles

Not the kind you worry about from basking in the sun. Moles are carnivores that eat worms, and the grubs that turn into Japanese beetles. Generally, moles are unseen and do not cause a lot of problems. If there is a significant food source in your lawn, moles can become troublesome. The key is to decrease the food source and create a healthy balance. Most lawn care companies in Mississauga would use chemicals that would destroy the eco-system in the soil. This is not the solution.

Symptoms:

Moles tunnel and make mounds of soil on the surface of your lawn.

Solution:

The best solution is to apply beneficial nematodes to reduce the tasty grub population and the moles with move next door. Beneficial nematodes need to be applied before the heat of the summer arrives.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Grubs

Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles and various other insects.

Symptoms:

Dead, brown patches on the lawn that can easily be lifted from the dead roots.

Solution:

Beneficial nematodes. This is a biological method of controlling severe grub infestations. A normal amount of grubs will not cause problems. This method should only be utilized when signs of stress are very obvious. See our services page to learn more about beneficial nematodes.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs are black with a white patch on their back between the wings. Female chinch bugs can lay almost 500 eggs and cause a substantial damage if left untreated. The chinch bug nymphs cause the actual damage to your lawn. They suck the sap from the grass, preferably bentgrass, but they will also infest bluegrass and varieties of red fescue.

Symptoms:

Brown and dying grass. The damage can occur quite rapidly in hot weather and can be mistaken for drought.

Solution:

Water heavily to keep the grass moist in hot weather. Use slow release nitrogen fertilizers as opposed to quick release. Lawn pest can be attracted to excess nutrients. Mow grass to 3 inches. Short grass will die off quickly in the summer heat. Aerate and remove thick layers of thatch. If the problem still persists, insecticidal soaps and rosemary may be the next line of defence. We offer organic fertilization.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Billbugs

These are small, black or gray, weevils with long snouts. As with chinch bugs the larvae do the damage by eating the grass roots. Severe infestations can destroy your lawn. Billbug damage can go unnoticed for some time. When the heat of the summer arrives the lawn becomes stressed, as a result of the root damage, and can turn brown very rapidly.

Symptoms:

Damage may consist of browning and death of the turf. Billbugs leave debris near the crown of the grass plant that looks like fine sawdust.

Solution:

Dethatching. Mow to 3 inches and maintain organic matter in the soil with a thin layer of compost. Apply beneficial nematodes.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Sod Webworms

The adult moths are most visible in the spring, later in the evening. You will see them flying around the lawn and dropping their eggs, which will hatch an army of webworms to destroy your lawn. The larvae hide in the thatch layer and come out at night to feed.

Symptoms:

Irregular patches of dead, brown grass.

Solution:

Dethatch in the spring. Apply beneficial nematodes.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Aphids

A rose gardener’s worst nightmare! These pear shaped, slow moving pests are usually greenish or brownish in colour. Aphids love new growth. They suck out the sap and you can usually find them on the underside of the leaf.

Solution:

Aphids are easily controlled if you can recognize the signs or see them on the plants. Spray them with a soap and water solution. Once they are on the ground, they’re a goner. Natural predators like ladybugs eat aphids.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Cranefly

You have seen these before…think giant mosquito. How are these a problem? The problems come from the Cranefly larvae called “leatherbacks.” They are greyish brown with tiny black spots and range from ½ cm to 3 cm long. First signs of damage are brown patches; the leatherbacks can actually chew the grass right down the surface of the lawn.

Solution:

A healthy lawn is essential to combating leatherbacks. Overseeding and proper mowing habits will keep your lawn thick. Beneficial nematodes can eliminate up to 40% in a season, so it’s recommended to do a second treatment the following spring.

Kick Gas Lawn Care provides environmentally friendly lawn care and property maintenance services throughout Mississauga and the Greater Toronto Area.

Slugs

We design and maintain gardens in Mississauga and see the damage they can do. These hungry pests eat at night and leave glistening trails over your hostas. They are one of the first pests to appear in the spring. They like moist, cool locations and will eat the leaves and fruits of plants.

Solution:

There are not a lot of treatments for slugs. Grab a flashlight and hand pick them at night or first thing in the morning. Place a beer can, with stale beer inside, in the area where you see slug tracks. Face the whole of the can close to the ground. Slugs are attracted to the stale beer and enter the can.

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Kick Gas Lawn Care
Email: contactus@kickgaslawncare.com
Phone: 647-973-1673
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3234 Nobleton Drive
Mississauga, ON L4X 2N8