3 Tips On How to Fix and Prevent Lawn Damage from Small Animals
Have you ever put a pet dog out late at night only to have him come howling back to the door, saturated in skunk spray? How about taking an enjoyable walk around the yard only to discover huge slabs of turf peeled back by a raccoon? Or been surprised by the spreading tunnels being dug by your resident family of moles? In almost any suburban setting, one or more of these things can give any lawn owner fits, and be the cause of some valid turf care concerns.
Tip #1: Check your lawn for grubs - animals come for the food.
What attracts any type of insect-eating varmint to your property is a free meal. Raccoons, skunks, moles and other rodents don’t have any concept of property lines, but they do seem able to find food pretty well, and if you’ve got it, you can expect some late-night visitors to your “midnight buffet.” Although all of these freeloaders will eat a pretty wide variety of food, one of their favorites is grubs. Because grubs stay close to the surface (just under the thatch), the larger animals like skunks and raccoons can strip away your turf grass to easily get at these gray, slimy “delicacies.” Moles can dig tunnels only partly underground as they search for their next meal of grubs. So as soon as you see any of these signs of feeding, it’s a good idea to check carefully for grubs. Chances are you’ll find some. But don’t just look in the torn up areas, pull up a little turf nearby. If you find grubs, you’ll probably know the reason your lawn has been invaded.
Tip #2: Control your mole population.
Moles can be a real nuisance, especially in a well-tended lawn. Their tunnels virtually destroy the turf, and create problems with mowing, too. There are restricted use chemical materials that can be inserted into the mole tunnels by a certified technician that will poison the moles. Several trips and applications are usually required for effective control. If you have grubs, another possible solution is to eliminate this food source with a grub control lawn treatment application. Since moles feed on many types of insects, this is not a guaranteed fix to the problem, but it makes good sense as a first step to inviting your burrowing friends to leave.
Tip #3: Put a preventative lawn care process in place to get rid of your grubs.
If you have grubs, it’s a good idea to control them before they do significant damage to your lawn. And if you remove the food source that attracted whatever critters you have in the first place, chances are pretty good that they’ll start looking for “greener pastures” elsewhere. Things to remember when fighting lawn damage from skunks, raccoons or other animals:
- Any animals tearing up your lawn are searching for food. Grubs are an easy catch and attract all kinds of intruders.
- Always try the simplest and most economical turf care solutions to any problem first.
- If grubs are present in the lawn, consider the season-long lawn insect control services available from Spring-Green.
Contact your local Spring Green expert today.
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