Following a mild winter it’s not uncommon to see early blooming, lawns coming out of dormancy quicker, and overall warmer spring days. Those are all things that we tend to appreciate.
However, you might also be wondering whether a mild winter will mean more bugs.
We won’t waste any time in saying yes, a mild winter typically does mean more bugs. But we’ll get into a bit more detail as to what type of pest activity you can anticipate and what you can do about it. After all, warmer weather also means spending more time outside and you ought to be able to enjoy it.
Warm Winter and Lawn Pests
In general, mild winters tend to mean more lawn pest activity. That’s because a deep winter freeze can kill some of these pests. However, with mild temperatures, this doesn’t happen. This could mean an increase in early grub activity. It can also mean surface-feeding insects like chinch bugs and billbugs begin feeding earlier in the season.
While the waking and feeding cycle might be earlier for these pests, the control methods don’t change. Grubs are still best controlled proactively with preventative grub control. The only difference is that the timeline for applying products might be shifted earlier.
At Oasis Turf & Tree, we believe that grub control is so important that we include it in all of our lawn care programs. We also offer a guarantee. Our guarantee states that, should your lawn suffer any damage from grubs after we’ve applied our grub control, we will repair it at no cost to you. So you can see it is definitely worthwhile to invest in prevention which, for a relatively small cost, offers so much peace of mind.
The same is true for surface-feeding insects like billbugs and chinch bugs. Surface insect control is included and guaranteed in all of our lawn care programs. That means that even if the timeline for application changes, you don’t have to worry about it. We’re adjusting our schedule each season as needed.
Mild Winter and Tree and Shrub Pests
You might also be wondering whether a mild winter will impact pest activity on your trees and shrubs. In general, harsh winter conditions will slightly reduce pest populations on trees and shrubs.
Again, a warmer winter does also tend to lead to early pest activity. This is because it generally means plenty of moisture and early plant growth, giving tree and shrub insects plenty of access to food.
With some pests, the longer, mild growing season may even produce an additional generation of some pests. For instance, one scale insect may have four instead of three generations of offspring. This can mean more pests throughout this year and even next.
Though you may see earlier activity, an early winter does not change the best control recommendations. The first step in treating tree and shrub pests like mites and scale is proper identification. The truth is, what you think might be a pest problem could be something else. When there’s a lot of moisture due to a warm winter, fungal diseases are also more likely. Before you can start any treatment, you’ll need an expert to diagnose your problem.
Fortunately, even when problems begin earlier in the season than normal, they can usually be remedied when properly identified and treated.
Warm Winter and Mosquitoes, Fleas, Ticks, and More
Generally speaking, mild winters do mean more activity from pests as a whole. Unfortunately, that can also mean more dangerous and disease-carrying pest activity.
For mosquitoes, it’s about a breeding problem. Mosquito eggs will hatch earlier and with more access to moisture (required for breeding), mosquitoes can cycle through more generations.
For fleas and ticks, it’s more just about the fact that these pests don’t die off from hard freezes. In fact, if winter was warm enough, these pests might have even continued to be active and breed. Though we might not normally be worried about ticks until May, if it’s been warm enough, they could start being a problem much sooner.
The same is true of other pests like ants, spiders, centipedes, and more. A mild winter means fewer die off, more breeding, and ultimately more early activity. When these insects are active around the outside of your home, particularly at its foundation, they might also start making their way in.
Again, the recommendations for all of these pests remains the same as always, even if the timeline for applications changes. Oasis Turf & Tree offers the following solutions to ensure you are fully covered.
- Ant, Flea & Tick Control to target these pests in your lawn
- Perimeter Pest Control to keep pests like spiders, centipedes, and other creepy crawlies away from your home
- Mosquito Control to protect you and your family from these blood-sucking pests
Taking Your Worries Away
Whether it’s been a mild winter or not, chances are, you don’t want to have to worry about any of these pests. That’s the benefit of partnering with a professional to handle these worries for you.
Of course, that also means you don’t need to worry about keeping up with the weather’s impact or knowing when the right time to apply products would be. At Oasis Turf & Tree, we’re monitoring this for you and taking the worries out of your hands as a result.
You’re investing in lawn care and pest control because you don’t want to have to worry about these nuances. You just want to be able to know that your property is in good hands. That means instead of wasting any time wondering what problems early warm weather could bring, all you have to do is enjoy the benefits.
Want to learn more about lawn care and pest control for your Cincinnati, Dayton, Ohio, or Northern Kentucky home? Request your quote, choose the lawn care program that’s right for you, and then sit back and relax as the pros help you get the worry-free property of your dreams.
Image sources: chinch bugs, grub, scale insects, mosquito