Hitting Tough Bugs on Their Own Turf

When it comes to weed control, a healthy, well-aerated, dethatched and nutrient-rich turf will choke out all but the most stubborn invaders. The rest often can be managed by hand weeding and mowing.

Pest management is really a matter of numbers. A few pests won’t make that big a difference and may even signal a healthy lawn. When your lawn is naturally disease- and insect-resistant, and is kept healthy using the methods discussed above, the degree of damage is often acceptable.

The natural approach pays the biggest dividends in the area of insect and blight control. Natural insect control takes two primary forms: You can use natural substances that attack the body of the insect directly or you can release disease-causing microorganisms (fungi, nematobes) that burrow into the target insect, killing it in the process.

We’ll take a brief look at the most successful products. These products are offered by a variety of firms. A word of caution is in order, however. Insecticides of any kind should be used sparingly and only as a means of last resort. Some beneficial insects will be killed in the process, no matter what you use.

One of the most effective, broad-spectrum insecticides is extracted from the seeds of the African and Southeast Asian neem tree. The active ingredient, azadirachtin, is a growth regulator. It’s effective on a variety of common pests, including aphids, gypsy moths and webworms.

Insecticidal soap is another option. It’s made from fatty acid salts derived from animal fat and plant oils. When sprayed on soft-bodied insects, it kills them by breaking down their cell-wall membranes. Insecticidal soap works well on sod webworms.

For effective control of hard-bodied insects, such as June bugs and Japanese beetles, pyrethrum, an extract from the chrysanthemum flower, works well.

To treat infestations of subsurface grubs, you might try mail-order nematobes, which kill grubs from within, or milky-spore disease (bacillus popillae), which is a fungus that attacks grubs and other soft-bodied subsurface pests.

Once established, milky-spore disease remains effective for years. For treatment of bill-bug larvae, diatomaceous earth works. Diatomaceous earth is a sediment taken from the sea floor and is made up of millions of dead, single-cell creatures that dehydrate soft-bodied insects on contact.