There’s nothing more frustrating than working your hardest to maintain a well-kept lawn and beautiful gardens, only to have insects or wildlife come in and ruin all your hard work. Unfortunately, Minnesota is home to quite a few lawn and garden pests that can ransack your plants and destroy your home’s curb appeal. Just like weeds, pests are a persistent threat to your outdoor property that come back year after year.

By preparing for garden and lawn pests, and responding appropriately when they become a problem, you can mitigate the damage to your outdoor property. Continue reading to learn about some of the most troublesome bugs and critters in Minnesota, and how to deal with them.

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MN Pests That Target Gardens & Lawns

  1. Japanese Beetles – These invasive green and copper beetles have become a major menace throughout the United States in the last few years, and they’re now the bane of many gardeners in the Twin Cities. When these beetles swarm your garden, they’ll skeletonize the leaves of your plants, ruining their aesthetic and potentially harming them in the long-term. Their grubs are equally problematic, destroying grass roots and creating dead patches in lawns. Making applications of systemic insecticides can eliminate Japanese beetles, both as adults and as grubs. Just be wary of buying pheromone traps, which often attract more beetles to a property than they can kill!
  2. Jumping Worms – Asian earthworms, commonly referred to as “jumping worms” or “snake worms,” are an invasive species that can cause devastating damage to gardens and lawns in Minnesota. When jumping worms infest a yard, they will change the texture of the soil and remove key nutrients, inhibiting the growth of your plants. Identifying these worms compared to other species can be difficult but they can be distinguished by their high activity level and distinct jumping behavior. Controlling jumping worms once they’re established can be difficult, so the best option for homeowners is to prevent their arrival by not releasing worms purchased as fishing bait.
  3. Moles – These small burrowing mammals are among the most reviled lawn pests in the Twin Cities. Moles are ambitious diggers who will not hesitate to tunnel out your lawn in their never-ending hunt for worms, creating uneven ground and killing grass in the process. If you discover vein-like tunnels stretching across your lawn, you’ve likely got a mole infestation in your yard. It is possible to deter moles from invading your lawn using blood meal. If this fails, you can install spring-traps in your yard to eliminate the pesky moles.
  4. Rabbits – When you start discovering your veggies and annuals eaten down to the ground, rabbits are the prime suspect. Many gardeners in Minnesota find themselves in a never-ending war against these garden pests, which will munch away at low-growing plants until there’s nothing left. The simplest way to keep rabbits out of your garden is to install a wire mesh fence. If you don’t want to harm the aesthetic of your garden, you can try repelling rabbits with blood meal or by spraying garlic and pepper oil over the plants you want to protect.

 

Keep Garden & Lawn Pests Away With Professional Outdoor Maintenance

Identifying and putting a stop to pest issues in your lawn and garden can be difficult for the average homeowner. If you want to keep pest problems in your yard under control, and to have all other services in your gardens taken care of, why not let the professionals handle it all? Contact Ground One today if you’re in need of top-rated outdoor maintenance services in the greater Twin Cities area!