5 Natural Remedies for Lawn Bugs

Lawn bugs cause all sorts of problems for homeowners. Not only do these pests cause damage to your grass and ornamental plants, they can also target you and your family members. If not controlled quickly these pests can find their way into your home, resulting in a hard-to-control infestation. Here are five all-natural remedies for keeping lawn bugs at bay:

1. Tea tree oil

This essential oil can save you a lot of money on pest control treatments. Like all essential oils, tea tree oil is very potent if not diluted, so you’ll want to mix a few drops of it with two cups of water. Put this solution in a spray bottle and spray it in areas where bugs are most likely to show up in your lawn. If too much tea tree oil is sprayed onto any one plant it could cause them to die, so be sure to evenly distribute this solution throughout your lawn. Bugs of all kinds will be repelled by this oil.

2. Cooking oil

Hungry bugs like mites and caterpillars can be easily controlled with oil that’s already in your kitchen. Simply mix ¾ a cup of any type of cooking oil (vegetable, olive, canola and peanut oils all work fine) with a few drops of dishwashing liquid and a gallon of water. Spray this solution on plants that bugs have been targeting and they’ll clear up in just a few days.

The weight of these oils suffocates lawn bugs, but if you aren’t careful it could have the same effect on your plants. For this reason you should perform a patch test on various types of plants throughout your lawn and wait a few days to see how the respond. If the plants go undamaged you can go forward with this treatment, if not a gentler approach will be required.

3. Soapy water

If ants have become a problem in your lawn, it won’t be long until they start to find their way inside. Keeping ants out of your garden can be a challenge, but within your home ants are one of the easiest pests to control. Keep an eye out for where these tiny lawn bugs are entering your home, and spray the area with a mixture of dish soap and water. This will remove the pheromone trails that ants are following, preventing more ants from finding their way into your home.

4. Citronella oil

Mosquitoes are an extremely unpleasant pest, and their bites cause irritation and can even result in diseases like West Nile virus. To prevent these bugs from becoming a problem in your lawn, remove all standing water and spread citronella oil throughout your property. There are many citronella-based products available on to homeowners, including candles and torches. You can make your own mosquito-control candles by adding a few drops of citronella oil to the melted wax of a recently extinguished candle. If citronella is not available, sage and rosemary have similar effects.

5. Compost tea

Compost tea is an easy to make lawn treatment that can have drastic effects on the health of your lawn. While compost tea does not affect pests directly, it will lead to a lawn that is healthy enough to fight off pests on its own. If you already collect your compost making this tea will take no time at all, just follow these steps:

  1. Fill 1/3rd of a bucket with compost from the bottom of your pile.
  2. Add rain or well water until the bucket is a few inches from full. Using well or rain water ensures that you aren’t adding chlorine or other chemicals to your lawn, if you don’t have access to these types of water use distilled water.
  3. Loosely cover and allow the solution to brew for several days.
  4. Strain the compost from the mixture and apply directly to your lawn.

TruGreen will gladly visit your property as often as needed between scheduled visits to make any necessary adjustments and to ensure your satisfaction.

Getting Started with TruGreen

  1. Call or fill out the form above to reach a lawn care specialist.
  2. Know the square footage of your yard, as well as any specific areas of concern.
  3. With the help of your specialist, create a customized lawn care plan that meets your lawn’s needs.
  4. Schedule your Healthy Lawn Analysis2 to start your service.