How to get rid of grass bed bugs without chemicals

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Content

Steps
Part 1 of 2: Treating your lawn with pests
Part 2 of 2: Improving the general condition of the lawn
Tips
Warnings
What do you need

Grass bugs (or meadow bugs) reach 8.5 mm in adulthood and usually have dark brown to black color and white wings (but at the same time, during a number of successive stages of development from larva to adult, they change their color several times ). If left unchecked, these insects will suck the juices out of your lawn, causing noticeable yellow patches to form on your lawn. Natural methods of pest control and care for keeping your lawn healthy are a great response to grass bed bugs. Inorganic pesticides can destroy the natural enemies of herb bugs and lead to the reappearance of these pests in the future.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Treating your lawn with pests

1 Estimate the size of the herb bug population. Before you start fighting pests, find out how serious the problem is and whether grass bugs are really to blame for everything. Cut the bottom off a large coffee can and put it into the soil of the lawn (in the problem area) by 5 cm. Fill the remaining volume of the can with soapy water. Repeat the process on several areas of your lawn, especially at the edges of yellowed areas. After ten minutes, return to the jars and check how many insects are floating on the surface of the soapy solution:
- more than 5 bugs per jar - serious infection (go to the next step to combat the pest);
- 2–4 bugs per jar - minor infestation (take care to improve the condition of the lawn and later check the degree of infestation by pests; however, if the lawn is in poor condition, treat it immediately against pests);
- 0-1 bugs per jar - no action required (if the lawn is in poor condition, this is probably due to other reasons).
- Alternatively, you can simply inspect the lawn grass closely with a magnifying glass.
2 Vacuum the lawn. This measure can be effective in the event that you early identified infestation by bedbugs and they managed to spread throughout the lawn.
- Sweep the lawn in the damaged area with a rake from the edges to the center (covering 60 cm of intact area on all sides).
- Vacuum the damaged area and the area around it.
- Water the lawn thoroughly.
3 Buy or make your own insect repellent soap solution. The special insecticidal soap is considered safe and is suitable for pest control in organic farming. Ordinary homemade soaps can harm your area, but pure Castile (olive) soaps or mild dish soap (no potency, antibacterial, or fat-dissolving properties) are usually safe when mixed with 50 ml of liquid detergent per 5 liters. water. Pour water and soap into a clean sprayer or spray bottle and stir the ingredients thoroughly or shake the container to combine. If you are using a special insecticidal soap, dissolve it in water according to the instructions on the label.
- This method works best for early detection of pests by targeting small infested areas of the lawn.
- If the water in your area is hard enough, the soap may not dissolve properly and a thick foam layer will form on the surface of the settled solution. If this happens, re-prepare the solution, but this time use distilled or bottled water.
- An interesting fact is that in Canada, the use of ready-made insecticidal soap against herb bugs is prohibited (possibly due to a misunderstanding).But using homemade soap solutions is not prohibited.
- Be aware that any soap can harm aquatic organisms. Do not use soap solution where it can drain into storm drains and into waterways.
4 Spray soapy water on the lawn. Spray the damaged area of the lawn with a spray bottle or sprayer. For best results, perform on a cool, windless morning or evening. In windy and hot weather (especially at temperatures above 32 ºC), the risk of harm to your plants increases significantly.
- Try not to get soapy water on nearby plants. Some trees and flowers can be severely damaged by contact with soap, especially during dry times.
- If you are worried about the potential risk of damage to your grass from treatment, first test the solution on a corner of your lawn and check its condition after 24 hours.
5 Cover the sprayed area with a flannel sheet. Grass bugs will try to escape to save themselves, but will be stopped by the cloth. Come back ten to fifteen minutes later to vacuum the pests from the sheet or simply drown them by submerging the sheet in a bucket of water.
6 Repeat the treatment if necessary. Watch for grass bugs to appear or expand their damage. Repeat spraying with soapy water as needed once a week (or every three to four days in case of severe infection). Soap degrades quickly, so don't worry - your lawn will return to normal soon.
- You may want to check the pH of the soil after you finish controlling your grass bugs, as soap is highly alkaline.
7 Promote ground beetles. Unfortunately, these predatory beetles cannot be bought on purpose as a natural pest control. However, they often appear on their own where infestation by grass bugs occurs in order to feed on their eggs and larvae. Planting certain plants in the garden can attract ground beetles, as they can use these plants as a shelter and source of food.
- Ground beetles can look very similar to grass bugs. But these beetles are smaller, faster and have larger eyes. If you still see grass bugs, but your lawn looks healthy, you may have just mistook predatory ground beetles for bugs.
8 Get other beneficial insects to help. Ladybugs, lacewings, and wasps can all feed on grass bugs or their eggs. Despite the fact that they are not as effective at hunting grass bugs as ground beetles, these insects can often be specially purchased for your garden.
- Beneficial nematodes (roundworms) can also help. It has been proven that they are able to control the number of larvae of some insects (however, special studies have not yet been carried out on their effectiveness against grass bugs). Entomopathogenic nematode preparations for biological pest control can also be purchased at gardening stores.
9 Try oil-based natural remedies. For example, a neem oil-based product can help control the herb bug population with minimal adverse effects on plants and beneficial insects. Spray on cool, damp evenings as this oil can break down and burn plants in direct sunlight.
- Some essential oils, such as rosemary, lemongrass, cinnamon, and citrus oils, may help, but their effects have not yet been studied as thoroughly. Dissolve about 20 drops of your chosen essential oil in 4 L of water and then spray your lawn.
10 Sprinkle some garden diatomaceous earth on the lawn. Diatomite can kill not only pests, but also beneficial insects and earthworms, and it can take weeks or even months to solve your problem, so use it only as a last resort. To avoid irritation, be sure to use safety goggles and a dust mask, and try not to get too dusty when distributing the product. When finished, be sure to wash your hands.
- Use only garden or food grade diatomaceous earth. Swimming pool diatomaceous earth is a significantly greater threat to your respiratory system. Uncalcined diatomite, containing less than one percent crystalline silica, is the safest option.
- Try to find a pear-shaped applicator to dispense diatomaceous earth. It will reduce the risk of dust getting in your eyes, nose and mouth.
- Sprinkle diatomaceous earth on wet grass, either after rain or watering. Due to this, small particles of the substance will stick to the blades of grass.

Part 2 of 2: Improving the general condition of the lawn

1 Water your lawn abundantly, but not too often. Dry, sunny lawns are the ideal home for grass bugs, and in drought conditions your lawn will have a harder time resisting these pests. The ideal watering schedule will depend on the local climate and the type of turf, however, you can initially provide water equivalent to 2.5 cm of rain per week (spread over 2–3 days per week). Healthy lawn grass should straighten up immediately after stepping on it when it gets enough moisture.
- Excessive watering can have a negative effect, exacerbating the problem, especially if the pest is meadow horsefly. If you think your lawn is too wet, delay watering until the grass at the edges of the lawn begins to curl from lack of moisture.
- Wet conditions also stimulate the natural spread of a fungus such as bover, which can kill herb bugs.
2 Provide shade. Grass bugs do not like shady areas very much. Spread shading material on your lawn or plant trees and shrubs around to reduce the amount of sunlight entering your lawn every day. If your lawn is planted with sun-loving grass, try shading only the most bug-prone areas of the lawn: the green grass around the spreading yellow spots.
- For example, a narrow-furrowed one-sided, most often suffering from pests, perfectly tolerates shady conditions. It will feel great under a cover material that creates 30% shading.
3 Keep the grass high enough on the lawn. In general, the grass will do best if you allow it to grow up to 7.5 to 10 cm. This is especially true with grass bedbug infestations, as tall grass provides shady and moist conditions on the lawn - two of the main characteristics that most cases do not like bedbugs. If your lawn is in poor condition, you can stop mowing completely until it recovers.
- To reduce stress on the grass, always use a lawnmower with sharp blades and cut no more than ⅓ of the total grass height each time.
4 Remove mulch from the lawn. Mulch is a loose brown layer of organic grass cuttings that sits between the soil and green foliage. Grass bugs in the cold season use mulch for wintering, burrowing into it. Aerate the lawn soil once or twice a year so that the mulch layer does not exceed 1.25 cm. If it turns out to be more than 2.5 cm, reduce it with a lawn thinner or a lawn rake.
- This is especially important in the fall to reduce the size of areas where grass bugs can overwinter.
5 Avoid over-fertilizing. Grass bugs and other sucking pests thrive on nitrogen-rich plants.Switch to organic slow release fertilizers or fertilizers containing no more than 5-10% nitrogen (N).
- It is also possible, without any harm, to apply a significantly lower dose of fertilizer than is recommended on the package. Try this approach and only increase the dosage when the grass turns light green.
6 In the fall, clear fallen leaves from the lawn. In a cold climate, herb bugs successfully winter in fallen leaves and the humus formed from it. Some of them are able to survive in a layer of mulch on a fairly clean lawn, however, raking foliage is an easy way to make pests difficult to overwinter.
7 Control spring weed growth. If the pests you find are tiny (about 4 mm) and gray-brown or black-brown in color, they are probably false bugs. In summer, they prefer only to swarm in the turf after the weeds of their favorite have died off. To reduce their population, clear weeds in the spring, especially walkers, other mustard plants, thistles, and wormwood.
- Note that some false bugs feed primarily on spider mites and are therefore beneficial.
8 Adjust the soil pH level. The ideal pH for most soil types should be around 6.5-7.0. Check the pH level with a special test from your garden store and, if necessary, bring it to the recommended level by applying lime (to raise the pH) or sulfur (to lower it) to the soil. Maintaining soil pH at the recommended level will help your lawn stay healthy, absorb nutrients well, and thus better tolerate insect damage.
- For best results, send a soil sample to a laboratory to find out exactly what nutrients are missing in your soil.

Tips

The negative effect of drought is externally manifested in almost the same way as the result of damage by grass bugs, however, the spots as a result of a lack of moisture are usually smaller. If the yellow or brown areas of the lawn are large enough, you are most likely dealing with grass bugs. If the spots are fairly small and a lot of them, your lawn may simply not have enough water.
If the worst happens and you have to re-sow your lawn, consider using "endophytic" grass. It can be fescue or ryegrass treated with beneficial fungi that resist herb bugs. But be aware that endophytic herb will be toxic to livestock. Also on sale you can find pest-resistant varieties of narrow-furrowed one-sided (however, herb bugs can adapt to the use of such plants).
The most dangerous and widespread pest in the European part of Russia is the bug, the harmful turtle, which causes great harm to cereals.
Ground beetles are often confused with pest bugs. But these harmless insects have a wider body and larger, wide-set eyes (compared to bed bugs). Moreover, they are usually only found in small numbers.