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Dealing With Hill and Holes
from:All of us maintain (or at least should maintain) our lawns differently depending on where we live. Some types of lawns grown in the southern part of the United States probably would not survive in more northern climates. Requirements may even be different for lawns that are not really all that far apart. My friend has a cottage by the lake only two hours drive from home. Taking care of his lawn is easy at home compared to where his cottage is. His requirements were completely different there. Sure there are more trees at the lake. The biggest thing for him though were all the gophers digging holes all over his yard. He actually tripped over a gopher hole, spraining his ankle. Ouch. This little article just seemed to hit home.
Do pests ‘gopher’ your lawn? Chances are, if you have a lawn, you risk the chance of having pests, such as the gopher and his cousin the mole. And, perhaps even those pesky six-legged creatures - you know, ants and other insects - call your grass patches their home. What makes animals and insects attracted to your beautiful lawn? And, what can you do to stop them from burrowing and nesting on your property? This article atempts to answer some of these concerns.
Most household lawns are not large enough to attract so many pests that a serious problem will result. Nonetheless, they can be a nuisance and can cause some minor damage to your grassy nook. Insects are not very easy to spot, as some are so small to the naked eye. However, they can be identified just by looking at the dead, brown patches of grass all around you. Telltale signs of moles and gophers are a little more obvious - dirt hills on top of your lawn, and beneath them, tunnels and holes. Once you identify that you have pests invading your lawn, you need to decide on the best way for you to take care of the problem.
The first option is to call an expert exterminator. Use your local yellow pages or a business directory. Referrals from someone you know and trust that had a similar problem is always a good thing (well not always). But if you are like most people today, you may want to fix the problem yourself. If you are this person, the first thing you need to do is to size up your situation and decide what you're up against.
Let’s look at insects first.
When dealing with insects, the first thing you must realize is that not all insects are bad. Some insects can be very beneficial. Sure, we probably would swat them all, but in reality, some insects can actually act as your own exterminators by eating other "bad" insects. Other insects benefical to your lawn can actually help control the thatch level of your lawn.
There are two types of insects when it comes to the ones who invade your lawn. The two types are called "above ground" and "below ground" insects. Above ground insects usually feed on your grass, and can be seen fairly easily. Some examples of these are chinch bugs, green bugs and armyworms. The below ground insects are just that. They feed on your lawn through the root system, which means they are the most destructive of the two. If the top part is eaten, the grass can still grow back. But if the root is eaten, that's it. Game over.
Below ground insects are also the most difficult to identify as they are not easily seen. Below ground insects can include grubs, beetle larvae and billbugs. There are literally hundreds of thousands of species of insects that you could have lurking around your pride and joy - way to many to even atempt to list here. You could borrow a book on insects from your local library, or check out some entomology websites to learn more about what roles and functions they have. Alternatively, you could also scroll around this website and search for books at Amazon.com. The more knowledge you have the better. After all, you don’t want to kill off any allies - you know, the good bugs!
There are five basic types of treatments available for anthills and other insects. The first is to use chemical insecticides. Others are to use biological insecticides, botanical insecticides, insecticide soaps and predatory insects (remember- some are your friend!). There may also be specific types of insects or insecticides for specific types of insects. Weigh each option and choose which one fits your needs the best.
Moles and gophers are two of the most common animal pests. Due to striking similarities between moses and gophers, it can sometimes be difficult to tell the differenct. Both animals build tunnels under your lawns, but that does not mean they are the same. These two rodents have many differences that set them apart. Moles are smaller than gophers. Moles also have pointed snouts and large front claws. Moles do not feed on your lawn. They feed on the insects that dwell within your soil. It almost sounds like they are helping you with your insect problem, but the tunnels that moles’ make leave mounds of dirt on the ground above, and their shallow tunnels can cause uneven ground.
Gophers, the largest of the two pests have buckteeth and smaller ears. Gophers love to dine on your grass and the roots of plants. Gophers also leave mounds of dirt above ground, but they do far more damage underground, causing sinkholes. While your green may not encompass as many acres of the turf as in the movie "Caddyshack", they can cause just as much recurring trouble for you. Getting rid of gophers and moles usually leads to one grand solution - destroying them. That's what my friend did. He would actually take his pellet gun and sit outside in his back porch and just wait there for the little critters to come out of their hiding holes - BANG - no more gopher. There are also more conventional and probably more humain methods to employ, such as traps.
The best way to deal with pests though is to perhaps not have them at all. This can be achieved by taking preventative measures for your lawn. But of course, nature has a tendancy to have a mind of its own! That's what my friend. He sat on his porch with his ankle wrapped up and waited for the little critters with his pellet rifle. I wasn't there and I have personally never hurt an animal in my life and don't know if I can. I guess you just gotta do what you gotta do!
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