Pest Control Predicting Pest Problems
Pest Control Predicting Pest Problems
Before you let insects get the drop on your lawn, there is a method you can use to determine the likelihood of an infestation or invasion. Consider it a sort of low tech radar warning of incoming enemy troops. You can do this simple test with items you already have around your home. It is called a “soap test.”
Why do a soap test?
Many of the little critters that cause lawn damage are already present before the problem becomes obvious. Eggs are laid on the ground or in the thatch, some are laid in the ground by burrowing insects like mole crickets, and they hatch and live much of their early life in the soil. This method will help to bring them up so they can be counted. Why would you want to count them? Well, so you will know if there are so many of them that you can expect an invasion, and do something about it before the major invasion takes place. The soap test gives you the ability to make a preemptive strike.
The purpose of the soap test is to determine the approximate types and numbers of insects in the soil. This will aid in knowing what we have to deal with, and whether the numbers of insects per square foot warrant treatment.
What you will need for a soap test
Material:
Large coffee can with both top and bottom removed.
Dish soap.
Water.
Solution:
Mix 1 ounce of dish soap with 1 gallon of water.
Method:
- Place the can on the ground and push it partway into the ground.
- Pour in the water, soap mix.
- Wait.
What you will learn:
If there are any pests in the ground, this soapy solution will irritate them, and they will begin to rise to the surface where you can count them and determine whether an infestation is present. This will be determined by what levels of each type of pest are considered acceptable. These rates are usually expressed in terms of numbers of pest per square foot. Specific data on individual pests is available from county agents, various university horticulture and agriculture departments, and other places on the world wide web.
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