pest control Palm Beach

lawn pest control

Rid Your Garden of Unwanted Pests

A great many pests can take up residence in your garden. Some are relatively harmless, while others will devastate plantings. Signs to look for include holes in foliage, speckled leaves, and leaves that have a lace-like appearance when insects are the problem. In potted plants outdoors, grubs may have taken up residence around roots. Animals may also be feeding on the roots, leaves, stems, seeds and fruit of your plants.

Insecticides

The formulas are available in solid and liquid forms. They’re effective in addressing multiple types of insects, but they can also result in the death of birds that eat insects that have ingested plants treated with the poison. Insecticides kill indiscriminately and can be the death of pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Insect Traps

Using Insect traps is a much better solution than insecticides and they’re highly effective. They use pheromones to attract a specific type of insect, where they’re drawn into a device and trapped. The traps can then be tossed in the trash. Another option is to plant varieties that been engineered to be resistant to the predations of insects and diseases.

Animals

A wide variety of animals take advantage of a smorgasbord of garden plants. They include deer and rabbits, and voles and mice, along with squirrels, chipmunks and woodchucks. The best solution is to erect a physical barrier to keep them out or employ live traps. New growth may be nibbled, fruit damaged or missing, or plants eaten completely to the ground. Underground pests are particularly fond of seeds and will abscond with newly planted seeds.

Clean Gardening

Make sure any soil that’s amended into the garden is clean and free of potential insect eggs. It’s also important to leave sufficient space between plants. Crowded plants are more susceptible to insect predation and have weaker growth. Be sure to remove leaves and other types of debris from the area that can attract insects.

Weed Control

Weeds can harbor a great number of insect pests and weeds compete for nutrients that make desirable plants weaker. Mulch is a good way to minimize weed growth.

Beneficial Insects

Attracting lady bugs and similar beneficial insects feed on mites and aphids, along with their eggs and larvae.

RCH Landscaping is a full-service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians has an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

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Protecting your Landscape from Pests

There are dozens of pests that can arrive in your landscape uninvited. Insects are the No. 1 problem that individuals experience. The first order of business if you observe a problem is hire a professional. There are also beneficial insects that live in your landscape and a professional has the experience and knowledge to tell the difference.

Don’t immediately assume that complete and total annihilation is the only option for dealing with pests. There are measures that every property owner can employ to aid in making the landscape less attractive to insect pests.

Pest-Repelling Plants

Some plants are repulsive to certain types of insects. They’re attractive and add character to the landscape. Pest-repelling plants can be used in companion plantings to discourage bugs within the landscape. In addition to some herbs and flowers such as chrysanthemums, don’t overlook carnivorous plants that feed on insects.

Maintaining Distance

Bushes, vines, trees and even flower beds established near structures are an invitation to insects that can enter homes and commercial properties. It’s a good idea to maintain a distance of about six feet between buildings and plants. When mature, trees shouldn’t overhang structures. Keep trees pruned and inspect them regularly to prevent infestations before they occur. Dense plantings are also an invitation to mice and rats.

Clean up Debris

Leaving leaf piles, decaying wood, grass clippings, and mulch are all capable of calling insects to homes. If you don’t have a bagger on the mower, be sure and rake up grass clippings. Keep debris cleaned up.

Avoid Wood

Using wood chips are often viewed as an eco-friendly way to mulch or reduce mowing areas, and decrease the time spent on landscape maintenance. However, a great many insects, not to mention mice and rats, find wood chips and woodpiles a safe haven. Synthetic alternatives or pebbles offer a highly attractive option that won’t invite pests.

Professional Services

There are definitely times when professional services should be sought. The experts can address any current infestations and make the landscape less attractive to insects and rodents. They have a variety of methods that can be employed to keep your landscape healthy, which will significantly reduce the potential for pests to take up residence.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

Read more
lawn pest control

Common Yard Pests that can Destroy your Landscape

A great range of insect pests live and thrive in South Florida’s tropics-like climate and an infestation can decimate the landscape. Some will attack lawns, while others will gravitate directly to the foliage or flowers of specific plants. A well-cared for landscape can be irresistible to insect pests.

Aphids

Often referred to as plant lice, they can be red, green, black, brown or purple. They multiple readily and typically feed on leaves and stems. They’re indiscriminate eaters, sucking the sap from any type of plant growth. Aphids secrete a sugary liquid called honeydew that provides an ideal environment for the growth of a fungus called sooty mold.

Armyworms

They’re the larval form of a moth, primarily attacking blades of grass, but they’ll also settle for vegetables. The striped worms are voracious and can defoliate a lawn within a matter of days.

Coconut Mealybugs

Like aphids, they suck the juices from plants and leave excrement upon which sooty mold grows.

Japanese Beetles

One of the most voracious and destructive insects to ever invade the U.S., Japanese beetles are not picky eaters and will destroy landscapes in short order. The grubs thrive in moist soil and are very active in warm temperatures that prevail in South Florida.

Mole Crickets

Some species eat plant materials, while others will feed on a combination of greenery and other insects. The primary cause of damage caused by mole crickets is through their burrowing habits that disturb roots.

Spider Mites

Very small and sometimes difficult to see, species come in different colors. They typically leave fine strands of silk-like webbing on plants they infest. They feed on foliage and suck sap from plants.

Slugs and Snails

Both types of pests prefer young, tender growth for their meals, but are equally able to derive sustenance from decomposing plant matter. They’re indiscriminate feeders.

White Grubs

Commonly known as white grubs – a generic term – these pests are the larvae of scarab beetle species. They feed on the roots of a wide range of lawn grasses and it can be difficult to diagnose which species of larvae is in residence without professional expertise.

RCH Landscaping is a full service landscape company based in Boca Raton, Florida. We design, install, and maintain Commercial and Residential landscapes all around Boca Raton, Delray Beach and The Palm Beach areas. Our team of highly skilled landscape technicians have an undisputed track record of creating and maintaining beautiful commercial and residential landscapes all over South Florida.

Contact RCH Landscaping Today for a Free Estimate

561-779-9760

Read more
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