Pest Control Archives - Page 2 of 2

Posted on June 29, 2019July 16, 2023 by East Coast Sprayers

In Palm Beach County, we are used to the heat, daily rain, and bugs that come along with summertime. While we can’t control the weather, we can control the pests that are invading your landscape this time of year. Since we have been seeing an influx of grubs taking over our customer’s lawns recently, here’s some information on these destructive insects and how East Coast Sprayers can help maintain your beautiful lawn.

Identifying Grubs

Grubs are the little, white larvae of June beetles. They love to feed on organic matter in the soil, such as your grass roots. If you are not sure if you have a grub problem, here are some tell-tale signs:

Your lawn feels spongy when you walk on it
Foraging animals such as raccoons, armadillos, skunks and birds are digging up your lawn to feed on the grubs
Dead parts of your lawn can be pulled back like carpet from grubs eating the root systems

The key to controlling grubs is to kill them before they hatch. Insect control preventative treatments can be applied in the early summer in Palm Beach County to help eliminate the issue before it even starts.

Grubs Treatment

East Coast Sprayers have the knowledge you need to help keep your Palm Beach County property free of insects all summer long. Our team can provide a free evaluation of your infestation and outline a treatment plan for grubs in your landscape. Contact us today and let us help you get rid of what’s bugging you!

Posted on June 22, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Just like alligators and snakes, fire ants are a resident pest of Palm Beach County. If you live here, you have more than likely had your fair share of experiences with these painful insects. Their mounds can destroy your yard and cause painful stings to you, your children and your pets. If you are a Palm Beach County resident or business owner, East Coast Sprayers can help you understand fire ants and use our insect control expertise to eradicate them from your property!

Where Do Fire Ants Live?

Fire ants are most prominent in the warm climate areas of the southern United States and are found throughout the entire state of Florida. Due to their social nature, you can usually find colonies of fire ant mounds in open, sunny areas such as:

Parks
Playgrounds
Lawns
Fields/meadows
Golf courses
Pastures
Wildlife areas
Agricultural land

Sometimes they may be spotted by a building, near the base of a tree, or between sidewalks, which provide a safe, dry location for their queen and her offspring.

Fire Ant Stings and Reactions

It’s easy to identify a fire ant by it’s sting, although we do not recommend this method! Fire ants are notoriously aggressive; their stings inject venom into your skin that can cause instant, intense pain. The pain will quickly turn into extreme itching and irritation that can last for days. One step into a fire ant mound can trigger groups to swarm and attack, which is why stings tend to appear in clusters. One fire ant will sting multiple times until dislodged or killed. The stings will produce fluid-filled blisters, similar in appearance to pimples, and could cause the affected area to swell.

How Do You Control Fire Ants?

Fire ants in Palm Beach County are inevitable. However, the professionals at East Coast Sprayers are experts in treating residential and commercial properties for fire ants. Our vast knowledge on eradication methods, as well as preventative treatments, can help you enjoy your lawn without fear. Contact us today for a FREE evaluation of your fire ant infestation and let us help you be fire ant free!

Posted on April 13, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Our favorite season is almost here. But, as we are heading into the summer months, it’s time to be on alert for one of Palm Beach County’s most annoying pests: fleas. Fleas are an incredibly invasive parasite, latching on to our pets, invading our homes, and even biting humans. If you think you have a flea infestation, East Coast Sprayers is here to help!

When Are Fleas Most Active?

Fleas can be found in Palm Beach County year round, but are most active during the spring and summer months. It’s during these times that we, and our pets, like to spend most of our time outdoors and are most susceptible to attack. Fleas are especially abundant during rainy and humid days, making the summer months their favorite time to infest your lawn. Fleas cannot survive in cold weather and need at least 70-90 degrees to live and reproduce.

What Do Fleas Look Like?

Fleas are tiny, no more than 1/16“ long as an adult, and can be difficult to see to the naked eye. They have narrow, flat sizes which make it easy for them to navigate through their host’s hair. They are dark in color and while they have no wings, they have long legs made specifically for jumping (they can jump 7-8 inches, in fact).

Are Fleas Dangerous?

Flea infestations can cause severe harm to its host. Besides the itchy and irritating bites, fleas can spread diseases, tapeworms and cause skin infections from their bites. Your pets could also have an allergy to fleas saliva, which could cause them to lick, scratch and chew themselves.

How Do You Get Rid of Fleas?

A flea infestation in your lawn can be difficult to get rid of. While there are many products you can purchase to DIY, it’s best to call an expert. Eradicating fleas depends upon their life stage and level of infestation. The pros at East Coast Sprayers can evaluate your lawn and provide an insect control treatment that’s right for you. Call us today to get rid of those fleas for good!

Don’t forget to check out our monthly specials for coupons and discounts!

Posted on March 16, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Ornamental trees and shrubs give your home a vibrant and lush curb appeal. While these plants are a beautiful addition to your landscape, they require fertilization, pest control, and ongoing maintenance to maintain their health. If you are a homeowner in Palm Beach County, East Coast Sprayers can help you keep your trees and shrubs looking beautiful year round with some helpful tips.

Why do ornamental trees and shrubs need care?

Most of the ornamental trees and shrubs you see in your neighborhood are non-native plants, making their care very specific. Their natural environment (including soil, air quality, watering, temperature, etc.) can differ from our South Florida conditions. Providing these plants with proper fertilization and pest control will help them thrive on your property.

What care do trees and shrubs require?

Most of the ornamental trees and shrubs found in Palm Beach County require monthly care. Fertilization of your soil is crucial to maintaining a proper pH – giving your plants the best ability absorb nutrients and fight off disease. Applying both liquid and granular fertilizer can be the most effective way to feed your trees and shrubs.

We love living in Palm Beach County for its year long temperate weather, but that means pests are always around to wreak havoc on your landscaping. Monthly pest and insect control is necessary to keeping your trees and shrubs looking their best.

Our hot, humid South Florida climate creates the ideal environment for fungus to grow. A regular fungicide prevention program will help to keep away any harmful fungal diseases, keeping your trees and shrubs green and thriving!

Tree and Shrub Maintenance Programs

Living in Palm Beach County, you want your home to look it’s best. Maintaining your landscape should always include tailored treatments for your trees and shrubs – that’s where East Coast Sprayers can help! Our experts will provide you with a tailored program to fit your property’s specific plant needs. Contact us today for a FREE evaluation of your home’s tree and shrubs and let us show you how beautiful your landscape can really be!

Posted on February 23, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Spring is on it’s way in South Florida and as a homeowner, you’re probably concerned about the damaging effects mole crickets can have on your lawn. As the mole cricket burrows and feeds on the roots of your lawn, you will notice your grass becoming patchy, brown and eventually dying. At East Coast Sprayers, we have some helpful tips on identifying the mole cricket and ways to protect your turf from this sub-surface pest.

Identifying Mole Crickets

A mole cricket is one of the strangest insects you’ll ever uncover. This burrowing bug looks exactly like it’s name; a cross between a cricket body and a mole with its clawed front legs designed for tunneling. They can grow to 1-2 inches long as a full sized adult. Nymph mole crickets are smaller and can vary in size depending upon their life stage. They are gray-brown and will only have wings once their reach adulthood.

You may have a mole cricket infestation if your lawn has the following:

small mounds of soil
patches of brown or dead turf

If you want to check for mole crickets in your lawn, the best time is at night since they are nocturnal pests. Fill a bucket with soapy water and pour over 2 square feet where you suspect the mole cricket infestation lives. If you have 2-4 crickets pop up from the soil within a few minutes, it’s time get insect control help.

Mole Cricket Treatment

Powerful control of a mole cricket infestation is all about timing; specifically on the current season and life stage of the pest. Getting professional help for treatment is key.

East Coast Sprayers knows the ins and outs of a mole cricket infestation in Palm Beach County. We can inspect, identify, and tailor a treatment plan specifically to your turf’s needs. If you want to get rid of those pesky mole crickets FAST, contact East Coast Sprayers today!

Posted on February 13, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

As a Palm Beach County resident, your lawn is a vital part of your home’s curb appeal. Lush, green grass is every homeowner’s dream, but without professional insect control and lawn fertilization, this could be destroyed by a tiny little pest called a tropical sod webworm. East Coast Sprayers can help you identify this pest and control the infestation in your lawn.

What Are Tropical Sod Webworms?

Tropical sod webworms are found in Palm Beach year round and are most active from spring to fall. The tropical sod webworm is actually a larvae which uses your grass as a nest and feeding ground. While they prefer the delight of St. Augustine grass, the larvae have also been found to eat other grasses such as bermuda grass and zoysia grass. Tropical sod webworms are light green to gray-green, have dark spots on their body and can be up to 1 inch long.

How Do You Know You Have Tropical Sod Webworms?

If you notice damage to your lawn and want to determine if you have a tropical sod webworm infestation, here are a few tell-tale signs:

Ragged areas of grass and brown patches with heavy chewing damage
Silky web trail left throughout your grass which is highly visible with the morning dew
Tropical sod webworm moths fluttering above the grass

Treatment for Tropical Sod Webworms

If you think your lawn is suffering from the damaging effects of tropical sod webworms, East Coast Sprayers is here to help! We will thoroughly inspect your lawn and customize a treatment plan. Treatment can include regular pest control, lawn fertilization, and overall maintenance plans to correct and prevent future damage from tropical sod webworms destroying your Palm Beach lawn. Contact us today to receive your free quote and customized treatment plan!

Posted on January 30, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Your lawn is a crucial part to your home’s landscape. Beautiful ornamentals, trees and flowers can be ruined if your grass is in poor condition. A lawn with lush, green St. Augustine grass will enhance any landscape, improve curb appeal and ultimately increase your property value in Palm Beach County.

How Do You Choose the Right Grass?

In Palm Beach County, there are multiple grass options to choose from that thrive in South Florida conditions. Whether it’s St. Augustine grass or not, there are a number of things to take into consideration when making your grass decision:

Maintenance – Do you want a lawn that is meticulously manicured but requires a high level of lawn fertilization and care or are you looking for a low maintenance option that only need to be watered three times per week and mowed once a week? Your preference of maintenance level should be a huge contributing factor to your decision.
Environmental Factors– You need to consider how the environment comes into play when it comes to your grass. How much sun does your yard receive? What is your level of foot traffic on the lawn? Different types of grass have different limitations.
Budget – The price of the grass itself varies across the different types, costing on average anywhere from $3000-$8000 for a ¼ acre. Not only are the higher maintenance turfs more expensive to install, they are also more expensive to maintain and should be a consideration when you are selecting the right grass for your yard.

Pros and Cons of St. Augustine Grass

St. Augustine Grass is one of the most commonly used grasses in Palm Beach County. It thrives best in fertile, well drained soils but can also perform well in a multitude to soil profiles. Proper irrigation, insect control and lawn fertilization are imperative to St. Augustine Grass growth.

Pros
- Well adapted to most soil profiles
- Dark green/blue color when properly watered and fertilized
- Establishes quickly
- Moderately salt tolerant
- Moderate maintenance
- Shade tolerant (some species)
Cons
- Low drought tolerance
- Susceptive to insects and fungus
- Poor traffic tolerance
- Coarse leaf structure (can be painful to walk on barefoot)

St. Augustine Grass Maintenance

All grass requires care; insect control, fertilization, weed control, and seasonal requirements can all be managed easily and affordably by a professional. East Coast Sprayers can help to maintain your St. Augustine grass with lawn fertilization and pest control services in the Palm Beach County area. Contact us today to receive your free quote!

Posted on January 12, 2019 by East Coast Sprayers

Is your lawn looking brown, patchy and dead? While you may think drought is destroying your grass, it could actually be chinch bugs. Chinch bugs are a common pest insect found throughout the United States. These bugs feed on the grass’s fluid and in return, injects a toxin that causes the grass to die. As they continue to reproduce and feed, those brown patches can quickly consume your entire lawn.

How Do Chinch Bugs Thrive?

Chinch bugs prefer sunlight and warmth; which makes Florida their ideal environment. They thrive in the sunniest parts of your lawn where it is hot and dry. South Florida grasses, such as St. Augustine and zoysia grass, are a favorite of these little bugs providing them with thick, lush thatch to feed and lay their eggs.

How Do You Identify a Chinch Bug?

If your lawn has dry brown spots, that should be your first indication that chinch bugs have possibly invaded. Unfortunately, these bugs are hard to see in the grass due to their small size. Adult chinch bugs grow to only 1/5 of an in long and are black bodied with white and black wings that overlap. If you want to identify them yourself, you may need to use a magnifying glass to see these tiny pests!

Chinch Bug Treatment

The best way to treat your lawn for chinch bugs is to contact your lawn care professional to do an inspection and provide a insect control treatment plan. They may recommend liquid or pelletized lawn chemicals to kill off the infestation, stop their breeding cycle, and drive them away from your yard. This type of treatment should always be performed by a professional. Over treatment can damage the lawn and under treatment could leave the bugs more resistant to the chemicals.

Contact a Professional

The first step to bringing your lawn back to life after a chinch bug infestation is to contact your lawn care professional. East Coast Sprayers will inspect your Palm Beach County lawn for free and provide you with an estimate to control your chinch bug outbreak!

Posted on November 12, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

Whiteflies are known for their nutrient-sucking habits and their war on crops and plants, especially decorative plants. Understanding how to get rid of whiteflies can benefit farmers and home plant owners alike.

The whitefly has an incubation period of 4-12 days. After that, they pierce plants and suck out the sap for weeks before becoming full-fledged adults. And that’s when the problems go from bad to worse for your greens.

Whiteflies have their seasons in colder climates (and may last year-round in warmer areas) but can last indoors all year. Whatever your situation, here are a few tips on how to get rid of whiteflies from the industry professionals at East Coast Sprayers.

How to Get Rid of Whiteflies: 4 Steps

Though they don’t usually fall on lists of the most common lawn bugs, the whitefly is a powerful pest that can destroy your plants. They slowly deprive plants of nutrients and sustenance, killing many before you realize their impact.

They hang on the underside of plant leaves where they’re safe from the sun and hidden from predators while they feed. Besides growing in a clear greenhouse and quarantining plants for weeks, here’s how to get rid of whiteflies:

1. Identify Which Plants are Infested

Before you can understand how to deal with whiteflies, you need to find out where they’re gathering. This will help determine which plants are at a higher risk and how to treat them specifically.

You’ll have to look under the leaves to spot adult and immature whiteflies. Adult females usually leave somewhere between 200-400 tiny white eggs in clusters under leaves near the tops of plants.

2. Sticky Traps

By setting sticky traps, you can monitor the adult population and get figures. For larger crop areas, where it’s impossible to search every plant, a few random samples will give you an idea of the entire population.

You can purchase the typical yellow sticky traps from department stores, supermarkets, and pest control shops in your area. From there, place the traps throughout a greenhouse, but especially by doors and new plants.

In a larger field, disperse them evenly across the entire crop, but near newer crops especially.

3. Natural, Organic Pesticides for Larger Infestations

Major infestations will require some sort of pesticide, but you’ll want to be careful not to damage your plants in the process. Pesticides can also be extremely dangerous to humans.

Do a decent amount of research on the plants affected and what type of organic, natural pesticides are available for purchase.

If you’re unsure where to begin, consider products from brands like Safer and their competitors.

4. Finish Up with Horticultural Oils

Again, you’ll want to research what your plant or crop is susceptible to, but you may find relief in a horticultural oil. These oils go into a sprayer to coat plants and ultimately smother insects, from eggs to adults.

Lawncare Advice from the Professionals at East Coast Sprayers

You’ll need to do more research to determine how to get rid of whiteflies in your home or garden. And when you need more tips and tricks for healthy plants and a bountiful harvest or flowering, we’ve got just the resources!

Head on over to the East Coast Sprayers website now to learn more!

Posted on October 1, 2018 by East Coast Sprayers

The lawn industry is worth $40 billion a year. If you need to replace your entire lawn with sod, it could cost you a pretty penny – anywhere up to $4,500 depending on size. That’s why it’s important to take care of your lawn.

Don’t let grass bugs destroy your beautiful new lawn. Here are the five most common lawn bugs to watch for and how to get rid of them fast.

1. Grubs (Beetle Larvae)

One of the most common and most damaging of all lawn pets are beetle larvae or grubs. These plump, c-shaped larvae arrive in the spring, summer, and early fall to eat the lawn grass roots. You will find them just below the soil surface.

To get rid of grubs, you can get nematodes, which are microscopic bacteria that invade the grubs and ultimately kill them. You can also try milk spore. The other options are chemical applications either preventative or curatives to kill immature larvae.

2. Chinch Bug

Chinh bugs kill grass by sucking on the blades. While they are feeding, they secrete an anticoagulant which prevents the grass from absorbing water. The grass withers and then dies.

These bugs mature quickly, so it’s important you treat your lawn immediately. Find insecticides labeled for cinch bugs. You should also water and feed your yard regularly to prevent further damage.

3. Sod Webworm

The webworm moth’s larvae eat grass blades and the entire stems. The young sod webworms are about 1 inch in length and will become green or brown with dark spotting. Look for find silken tunnels at the turf level.

To control sod webworms, you need to keep your yard fed and water so it can recover. Next, use a pesticide labeled for sod webworms. They feed at night, so apply in the late afternoon.

4. Armyworm

Armyworms eat the stems and blades. They feed at night or early in the morning.

If you have armyworm damage, these worms create bare spots in a circular shape. They can also make a lawn look like it moved if you have a heavy invasion.

You can try using neem oil spray to kill the larvae. If the damage spreads too quickly, look for the right insecticide which you can get in the organic form.

5. Cutworm

These worms about 2 inches long and are brown or gray with black marks. These worms burrow during the day. You can spot these worms at night or on a cloudy day.

Cutworms bite grass stems completely off. You can find the burrows and the sheared-off grasses if you look closely.

There are a couple of methods you could try to get rid of cutworms. You can spread a mulch of oak leaves or Bacillus thuringlensis, which is a natural method.

Effective Lawn Bug Control

It’s important to apply fertilizer and water your lawn. This helps your lawn stay as healthy as possible to bounce back from pest damage. You can get rid of insect pests yourself or hire a professional for insect control.

Unfortunately, pest damage to your lawn can go unnoticed until major damage shows. You can be proactive in applying preventative treatments to get ahead of the damage.

Want More Lawn Care Advice?

Everyone wants a beautiful lawn free of lawn bugs. Check out our blog today for helpful lawn care tips like seven common lawn care mistakes.