Pests In My Yard
Identifying the Pests Giving You Problems
If your lawn is being menaced by pests, but you're not sure why, Jirik Sod Farms can help you ID the culprit. There are many types of pests, insects and vermin that are found in lawns here in Minnesota.
See below for information about voles and Japanese beetles, two of the most commonly found pests in the region.
Managing Vole Damage on Lawns
Voles are small brown rodents commonly found in yards and fields. They are about the size and shape of a mouse, with small ears and a short tail. Here in
Minnesota, the most common voles are the meadow vole and the prairie vole.
They can have multiple litters a year, with a population boom every 3-5 years. Their lawn damage is most visible in the spring but their presence is most often found in late winter and early spring after the snow melts.
Voles spend a great deal of time eating roots and grass and making trails. These trails are one of the easiest ways to identify where they live.
The best ways to prevent and manage vole damage are through yard sanitation, reseeding grass, tree guards, trapping and pesticide application.
Japanese Beetles in Yards
Japanese beetle grubs are often found in turfgrass. They chew grass roots, causing the turf to turn brown and die off. Grub-damaged turf pulls up easily from the soil.
These grubs are C-shape and white-to-cream colored with a distinct tan-colored head. Their legs are easy to spot and they're between 1/8" up to an inch long. Japanese beetle grubs look like other white grubs and can only be identified by examining the pattern of their spines and hairs on the underside of the abdomen's tip.
Japanese beetle grubs chew up grass roots, reducing the ability of your grass to take up enough water and nutrients to remain healthy. With severe grub damage, you'll notice dead patches of grass.
These beetles can be very abundant in some years and less so in others. There are many ways to deal with these pests and in most cases, their damage is cosmetic only and will not kill your plants entirely.