Do You Need Insect Control in Your Yard During the Winter?
While winter is certainly a slower pace for the bug community, insects do not disappear completely when the cold weather blows in. Many insects go underground to hibernate during the winter months, while others just slow down their activity for the duration of the cold season. Even though bugs do not completely go away, you may be wondering if you still need to treat your yard for insects in the winter. When sunny spring weather begins to shine down on the ground, bugs will be emerging left and right. Treating your yard before they come out is an excellent way to heavily cut down on the bug population in your yard for the rest of the year.
Why are dormant insects a problem?
When insects are fast asleep or less active underground, you may not be too concerned because nothing is biting you or flying into your face. But mites, caterpillars, and aphids can do serious damage to your yard and trees once they emerge in the spring. Bugs like grub worms can be a much needed tasty treat to yard pests like racoons, field mice, and moles. If you want to prevent your yard from turning into the latest dig and dine, get rid of this insect main entree during the winter.
When should I treat my yard this winter?
If you did your part to remove leaves that block the sunshine from getting to your plants this fall and then trimmed back shrubs and hedges in early winter, you shouldn’t need to do much else over the winter until the second half of February. Before any warm days come to wake up the bugs, treat your yard with a dormant pest control spray or call an experienced pest control professional that specializes in lawn care.
After winter treatment of insects
Once you have rid your yard of the dormant bugs and their eggs, aerating your yard will allow it to thrive once spring rolls around. Aeration is an excellent way to ensure that your lawn is able to receive fertilizer and water, and it can be done after you remove any organic debris on your lawn and before you fertilize. When you aerate your lawn, you are not only letting crucial nutrients get to the roots faster, but you are also helping oxygen get into the soil. The lawn compacts down from water, people walking on it, and anything heavy like snow or blown down limbs. Using an aerating tool will give the grass roots room to grow and thrive. Aeration by hand can be quite time consuming if you have a bigger space. Hiring a professional law care service to aerate your lawn can be well worth it in the long run.
If you want your yard to look its best this year, treating insects at the tail end of winter will give your lawn, shrubs, and ornamental trees their best shot at staying pest free. In Fresno, CA, give the team at The Experienced Gardener a call today if you want to put your lawn in the hands of a professional.
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