Category: Pest Control

Why Emerald Ash Borer Treatment Is Essential

Discovered in 2002, emerald ash borer (EAB) is a wood-boring beetle from Asia that over the next two decades could infest every unprotected ash tree (including the green ash tree) in North America. Jay-Lan Lawn Care defines EAB, addresses its symptoms, and discusses the available emerald ash borer treatment options.

Background & Symptoms

Background

This infamous insect spreads extremely fast and has already killed millions of ash trees since its discovery. Specific to the United States, confirmed EAB sightings have been made across the Midwest, including Iowa and Minnesota, and as far east as New York and Maryland. The emerald ash borer lays its eggs on an ash tree’s bark, and when the eggs hatch the larvae burrow through the bark and start eating the tree’s sapwood. Consumption of sapwood unbalances water flow from the tree’s roots to its canopy, causing dehydration. Eventually, the entire tree dies.

Symptoms

One of the many reasons EAB is so nefarious is that outward symptoms are virtually impossible to detect. Only as the disease spreads do symptoms manifest. These include:

• New branches growing from the lower trunk
• Premature fall coloration
• Dead, leafless branches at the top of the tree
• D-shaped exit holes confirming the larvae’s path
• Unusual frequency of woodpeckers feeding on the tree
• A collective decline in the health of a group of ash trees

Treatment

Given the high risk of EAB spreading between trees, there is tremendous urgency to administer tree disease treatment immediately upon detection. The best time to treat a tree for EAB is spring or fall, and there are several options for treatment. These include:

Bark Spray

A bark spray treatment consists of a special insecticide that is applied by a sprayer and covers the bottom five or six feet of a tree. Once the formula is absorbed into the bark, it spreads throughout the tree. The bark spray solution only needs to be applied once a year.  

Trunk Injection

Administered every 1 – 3 years, a trunk injection is facilitated via a hole that’s drilled through the bark. The hole penetrates the bark and the outer sapwood, and then an insecticide is injected. When properly administered by a licensed professional like our local lawn care company, a trunk injection can achieve a 90% success rate in the treatment of EAB. Not surprisingly, this is by far the most effective method of attacking EAB.

Soil Drench

With a soil drench, the insecticide comes in liquid or granule form and is spread atop the ground surrounding the tree, whereby it’s watered into the soil. This option looks to deliver the formula to the trees roots, which will then distribute the formula to the rest of the tree.

Tree Removal

This is the only treatment option with a 100% success rate of controlling EAB, and it only requires one attempt, but the obvious drawback is that you risk losing a tree that may be more than a hundred years old. Replacing it with a new tree is possible, since EAB leaves no lingering after-effect as long as the infected tree is properly removed and disposed of.

Call Us Before Acting

Emerald ash borer damage is serious business, and it’s important that the aforementioned options are handled by professionals. If you suspect your tree may be suffering from EAB, contact our Sioux City lawn care company today and we’ll conduct an onsite review.

What Can Insects REALLY Do To Your Yard?

Jay-Lan Lawn Care takes great pride in maintaining its customers’ lawns, which is why it’s frustrating when insects try and undo our hard work. Here we discuss various insects, the problems they can cause, and why it’s important to utilize our Sioux City insect control expertise when necessary.

Japanese Beetles

If you’ve spent any time caring for your lawn, chances are you’ve heard of the Japanese beetle. Unlike some insects that seek to stay out of sight, it’s not uncommon to actually see Japanese beetles on your lawn, where they enjoy feeding on grass and laying their eggs in the soil. These insects also like to inhabit gardens, where they can dine on fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The presence of Japanese beetles usually preludes dying patches of grass in your lawn, caused by their larvae. If this happens to you, contact our nearby lawn service and arrange for a treatment, which may include eco-friendly lawn chemicals.

Lawn Grubs

Lawn grubs are the larvae of several beetle types, including the aforementioned Japanese beetle and the common June beetle. Grubs can pose a big problem in Iowa and the greater Midwest, due to the fact that irrigation (specifically, sprinklers) is commonplace in order to keep grass and flowers from dying. The dying patches of dead lawn referenced above are the result of grubs devouring grass roots. Making matters worse is the fact that certain predators (skunks, raccoons, and the like) will burrow into these dead patches in search of grubs to eat. Thankfully, our lawn treatment expertise includes several solutions for expunging grubs from your lush, green lawn.

Chinch Bugs

Though these insects are tiny in size (only 1/20 of an inch), they pack a big punch. In the absence of professional lawn care in Sioux City, chinch bugs will suck the juices and nutrients from your grass, especially in sunny parts of the lawn. And not only do they deprive your grass of its juices, chinch bugs also secrete a toxin that loosens the grass from the soil. Given their diminutive size, these insects are tough to spot unless you crouch down to close to the grass. However, they commonly dwell amongst a lawns’ thatch layer, which is why many of our customers will have us dethatch their lawn as an effective means of control.

Mole Crickets

On the list of the Top 10 insects posing the biggest danger to a lawn, mole crickets are at or very near the top. True to their name, mole crickets tunnel through soil. In the process they’ll feed on anything in their way:  decaying plant matter, other insects, and grass roots. And while mole crickets prefer doing their dirty work in moist soil, the truth is they’ll wreak havoc pretty much anywhere. Evidence of mole crickets includes grass that has a spongy feel when walked on – this is caused by dead or dying grass that lacks roots. Another clue is the presence of irregularly-shaped brown patches in the lawn, and finger-width tunnels in the soil.

Siouxland Insect Control Experts

Maintaining a beautiful, healthy lawn is a year-round job, and the experts at Jay-Lan Lawn Care are up to the task. Insect abatement and extermination are two of our many services, and we look forward to speaking further with you about your unique lawn care needs.

Common Lawn Pests to Watch Out For

If insects give you the heebie jeebies, you probably don’t want to see the list of common pests Iowa State University has compiled, or this longer list from Rodale. And if photos make you shiver, you certainly wouldn’t want to see these all-too-common pests up close and personal in your grass or infesting your vegetable garden (much less step on them while out walking barefoot). If you’re one of the countless homeowners dealing with common lawn pests, you’ll want to know what to look out for, and how to deal with them once you find them. Jay-Lan Lawn Care can help.

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When It Comes to Grub Control, Timing is Everything

As the warm weather returns, your grass isn’t the only thing coming out of hibernation. All manner of lawn pests that hunkered down for the winter will be returning just in time for spring. So how do you stop these common critters from decimating your yard? Jay-Lan Lawn Care has answers — and solutions — for Siouxland homeowners.

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