It may come as a surprise to some homeowners that pest control is just as important a task when growing a healthy lawn as it is when growing any other type of plant. Lawn pests can threaten the health and aesthetic of your lawn by inflicting extensive damage if proper control methods are not exercised to remove the damaging pests. A pesticide can be a formidable weapon in the battle against lawn pests, and understanding the differences between the types of pesticides used for lawns is essential to knowing which pesticide is best for your needs. Does this Spark an idea?
Species Identification
When choosing a pesticide for any circumstance, the first consideration to make is what species of pest is infesting your lawn. Some common lawn pests include armyworms, cutworms, billbugs, black turfgrass ataenius, fiery skipper, lawn moths, sod webworms, southern chinch bug and white grubs. Depending on your geographic area, other insect pests may be more common than these. The most effective pesticide for lawns is one that is targeted specifically at the species of insect that is attacking you lawn so as to avoid harming other non-pest insects that occur in your lawn.
Grass Tolerance
Once you have identified the species that you need to target with your pesticide chemical, the next step is to choose a pesticide that will not inflict any damage on your lawn grass. Toxic reactions by plants to pesticides that are not approved for use on those plants can cause more serious damage to plants than the insects themselves, so check the labeling of the pesticide that you are considering purchasing, not only to ensure that it is approved for use against the specific species that is attacking your lawn but also to make sure that it is safe for use on the species of grass you grow in your lawn.
Pesticide Chemicals
These two considerations should give you an idea of the ideal pesticide chemical to control your lawn pest problem, but there are still some general guidelines that can aid you even further in pesticide decisions. The insecticide chemicals azadirachtin, pyrethrum (pyrethrins) and imidacloprid have been shown to be safe on a wide range of grasses commonly grown by homeowners (though each is only effective at targeting specific pest species). The University of California's Integrated Pest Management program warns against the use of diazinon on lawns as this chemical is believed to be a source of water pollution. Also avoid the use of carbaryl and pyrethroids whenever possible, as these are "broad spectrum" pesticides that often kill other beneficial lawn insects.
Pesticide Type
A final consideration when designing a pest control program for your lawn is what type of pesticide to use. Some pesticides such as dormant oil are applied to lawns in a preventative capacity when the lawn is dormant, usually meant to kill larval or nymph insects while they are still inactive. Other pesticides are "rescue treatments" applied to lawns after an active infestation has been discovered. You may also opt for an organic pesticide chemical such as horticultural oil, neem oil or insecticidal soap rather than the synthetic chemical compounds listed above.
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