Teg Blog & News

Summer is the season when your lawn and landscape should be at their best, but it’s also when pests become their most destructive. While some insects help maintain a balanced ecosystem, others feed on turf, drain nutrients from trees, and create conditions that make plants more vulnerable to disease.

Among the most aggressive summer pests are chinch bugs, aphids, grubs, and Japanese beetles, all of which thrive in warm conditions and spread rapidly if left unchecked. These pests damage your yard from the ground up—grass dries out, tree leaves thin and curl, and once-healthy plants start to wither under the strain. That’s why professional Insect & Disease Control treatments are essential for keeping your landscape protected from infestations before they escalate.

Instead of waiting until the damage is irreversible, proactive pest control can stop infestations before they take over. By learning how to identify these pests, understanding how summer weather contributes to their spread, and applying targeted chemical treatments, homeowners can safeguard their yard all season long.

How Summer Weather Creates a Pest Haven

Hot temperatures, shifting moisture levels, and humidity create the perfect conditions for pests to flourish. While dry spells can stress grass and make chinch bug infestations worse, periods of excessive moisture provide breeding grounds for grubs and aphids.

Several environmental factors contribute to mid-summer pest outbreaks:

• High temperatures weaken turf, making it more susceptible to chinch bug attacks
• Humidity allows aphids to multiply, spreading quickly across trees and shrubs
• Moist soil attracts grubs, leading to extensive root damage
• Warm nights encourage increased pest activity, prolonging infestations

Different pests thrive under different conditions, but they all share one thing in common—if left untreated, they will continue to spread and weaken your yard.

The Most Destructive Summer Pests and Their Warning Signs

July brings peak pest activity, making it crucial to catch infestations early. Here are the most common troublemakers and how to spot them.

Chinch Bugs

Chinch bugs may be tiny, but their impact on turf is devastating. These insects pierce grass blades and inject toxins that block water absorption, causing turf to dry out and die. If your lawn is developing dead patches despite regular watering, chinch bugs might be the cause. Key symptoms include:

• Expanding yellow or brown patches, especially in sunny areas
• Brittle, dry grass blades that crumble easily
• Clusters of small black-and-white bugs near the soil surface

If left unchecked, chinch bugs can spread fast, causing large sections of turf to die off completely.

Aphids

Aphids are soft-bodied, sap-sucking insects that weaken trees and shrubs by draining nutrients from foliage. They reproduce quickly, covering branches, stems, and leaves while leaving behind a sticky residue known as honeydew. Signs of aphid infestations include:

• Curling, yellowing leaves that drop prematurely
• A sticky coating on foliage, which can lead to fungal growth
• Large clusters of tiny insects clinging to stems and leaves

Aphid infestations often invite secondary problems like mold and ants, making them even harder to manage.

Grubs

Grubs are beetle larvae that feed on grassroots, making turf vulnerable to drought, stress, and disease. Unlike surface-feeding pests, grubs do their damage underground, often going unnoticed until visible patches of dead grass appear. Warning signs include:

• Soft, spongy turf that lifts away from the soil easily
• Expanding dead spots where grass struggles to grow back
• White, curled-up larvae visible beneath the soil when turf is peeled back

Without treatment, grubs can destroy the lawn’s root structure, leading to widespread turf loss.

Japanese Beetles

Japanese beetles target trees, flowers, and shrubs, stripping foliage and leaving plants weak and exposed. Their feeding style skeletonizes leaves, removing only the soft tissue and leaving behind a lace-like appearance. Signs of Japanese beetle damage include:

• Leaves with jagged holes and missing sections
• Groups of metallic green beetles feeding on branches
• Trees and shrubs producing stunted or weak new growth

Japanese beetles spread fast, often damaging multiple plants across the landscape within days.

Chemical Treatments That Keep Pests in Check

While natural remedies may slow the spread of pests, chemical treatments provide stronger, longer-lasting protection by directly disrupting insect life cycles and preventing future outbreaks.

Effective Pest Control Applications:

• Granular and liquid insecticides for chinch bugs eliminate surface-feeding pests before they damage turf
• Systemic treatments for aphids absorb into plant tissue, cutting off aphids’ food supply
• Preventative grub control treatments stop grubs before they mature and destroy grassroots
• Japanese beetle sprays and traps reduce beetle populations and prevent further damage

Professional treatments applied at the right time ensure pests are eliminated while minimizing environmental impact.

Keep Your Lawn and Landscape Protected for Seasons to Come

A pest-free yard isn’t just a goal—it’s an investment in long-term health. Left unchecked, summer pests can strip nutrients from your trees, weaken grass, and turn vibrant landscapes into struggling spaces. But with the right solutions, infestations don’t stand a chance.

At The Experienced Gardener, we provide advanced pest control treatments designed to stop chinch bugs, aphids, grubs, and Japanese beetles before they cause lasting damage. Whether you're battling an active infestation or looking for preventative protection, our expert care ensures your lawn and landscape stay strong through every season.

Our approach isn’t just about eliminating pests—it’s about reinforcing turf, trees, and shrubs with the right balance of nutrients, treatments, and professional care. With customized solutions, we make sure your yard is resistant to future outbreaks, ensuring lasting health and vibrancy.

Instead of waiting until visible damage forces costly repairs, take action now. By investing in preventative pest control, your yard won’t just survive the summer—it will thrive for seasons to come.

Take action before pests cause lasting damage. Call The Experienced Gardener now and let us provide targeted pest control solutions that safeguard your landscape for seasons to come.