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| Critters Tearing Up Your Lawn?
Have you ever put a pet dog out late at night only to have him 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 concern. It Starts With A Source Of Food What attracts any type of insect-eating varmint to your property is a free meal. Raccoons, skunks, armadillos 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 foods, one of their favorites is grubs. Because grubs stay close to the surface (just under the thatch), the larger animals like skunks and Armadillos can strip away your turf to easily get at these gray, slimy delicacies. 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. If you have grubs, another possible solution is to eliminate this food source with a grub control 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 in inviting your burrowing friends to leave. First Steps First 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. Sidebar Points:
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