Common Lawn Pests and Solutions

Most pests don’t intend to be destructive or ruin your beautiful fescue lawn, but they cause damage nonetheless. Insects and rodents in the wild need shelter and food, and you may be inadvertently providing them with both. Learn more about the most common lawn pests that threaten your Midwest lawn and discover some simple lawn pest solutions.

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Identifying Common Lawn Pests In The Midwest

In the Midwest, we coexist with endless varieties of animals and bugs and most of them are harmless if we notice them at all. However, some insects and rodents can cause damage, inconvenience, or both. Be on the lookout for these lawn pests in Iowa.

Common Midwest Insects

Grubs are the  larvae of Japanese beetles and some other beetle species and they cause extensive lawn damage as they feed on grass roots

Mosquitos may not cause a lot of damage to the lawn, but do bite people and transit diseases like West Nile virus, encephalitis, and Dengue

Ticks cause thinning in grass by hiding out in the thatch layer of your lawn and may carry diseases such as anaplasmosis, Lyme Disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Fleas cause thin patchy areas of grass in addition to being a nuisance to pets, which may carry them into your home and spread diseases like typhus and the plague

Chinch bugs kill grasses by feeding on the sap they store, draining grass of nutrients needed to survive

Carpenter ants feed on leftover pet food and human food garbage, as well as the remnants of other insects

Mole crickets destroy grass roots as they tunnel through your lawn feeding on other insects and decaying plant matter

Billbugs lay eggs inside blades of grass, and the larvae eat their way out once hatched, destroying the whole blade of grass in the process

Cutworms are moth larvae that eat grass stems and blades at night and burrow back inside the thatch layer of grass during the day

Millipedes destroy plants by eating their roots, shoots, and leaves

Sod webworms: Cause brown patches to form in the turf when they consume entire blades and stems of grass

Armyworms Cause circle-shaped bare spots in your lawn when they eat grass blades and stems

Common Midwest Lawn Rodents

Rodents can be more elusive than insects since they often live underground. This tool can help identify rodent holes when their creators are nowhere to be found.

Squirrels dig holes in the lawn to store and collect acorn

Moles dig tunnels beneath the surface of the lawn, destroying the grass in the process

Voles feed on plant stems and roots and make irregularly shaped paths through the grass about 1 to 2 inches wide

Gophers build intricate tunnels beneath the grass, destroying the yard

Woodchucks create burrows that destroy lawns, and they also may claw at trees and shrubs as they travel

Pest Control and Prevention

The following lawn pest solutions discourage pests from taking up residence on your property: 

• Use trash cans with lids and make sure they are covered at all times
• Use a compost tumbler instead of an uncovered compost pile
• Keep any pet food or livestock food in sealed containers if it must be kept outside
• Weed your lawn regularly, eliminating pest feasts like dandelions and weeds
• Maintain your garden to avoid overgrown or rotted vegetation
• Adopt a lawn care schedule to keep your fescue sod lawn well-maintained
• Use a low-maintenance grass that is appropriate for your climate, like quality fescue sod
• Overseed bare areas of your grass in Spring and Fall
• Mow grass at a tall enough height to avoid thatch buildup
• Use proper irrigation techniques  to water grass slowly and deeply and avoid creating too much humidity that makes your lawn attractive to insects

Eco-Friendly Pest Solutions

Even the most well-maintained property may attract lawn pests from time to time. If it’s too late for prevention, you can remove pests with these environmentally friendly pest removal options:

• Introduce beneficial insects such as ladybugs, dragonflies, minute pirate bugs, and predatory wasps. soldier beetles, lacewings, assassin bugs, and  ground beetles, to prey on invasive insects 
• Trap rodents with live traps
• Live traps to trap small infestations of rodents and release them into the wild
• Natural pest repellents such as peppermint oil, neem oil, vinegar, essential oils, and diatomaceous earth can repel and destroy many invasive insects without harming people, pets, or the environment 
• Use organic pesticides whenever possible when pesticides must be used

Repel Lawn Pests In The Midwest With Fescue Sod

Professional fescue sod installation gives you an instant lawn that is low-maintenance once established. Get a free quote today and repel pests while increasing your curb appeal and enjoyment of your home or business.