Don�t Get Antsy!
Why Your Oakville Irrigation Services May Have the Final Word on this Irritating Insect

The ants may go marching one by one…or sometimes by the hundreds.  But what do you do when you can’t see the lawn due to an ant invasion?  The following information from your Oakville irrigation services can help you tell an infestation from normal activity.

Ants are Friendly Lawn Bugs… Most of the Time
By and large, ants play a role in good lawn health.  With over 400 species of ants in North America, ants are as varied as the people whose lawns they inhabit.  Some ants eat other insects.  Other ants are plant-eaters.  Some eat both plants and other insects.  And their food can be dead or alive. 

Specifically, ants can help your lawn by feeding on harmful bugs, such as aphids or lawn grub larvae.  However, their threat lies within the anthills they can build.  If they get too big or there are too many, the following can happen:

  • The grass roots could become exposed, killing the individual grass plants.
  • Your lawn could develop uneven areas, making it harder to complete basic lawn care, like mowing.
  • The hills could smother the grass around them, or prevent the grass from getting the proper sunlight. 

Identifying Lawn Ants
For starters, if you see an increase in ants around your property, that is the first clue.  Ants tend to build their nests in the soil or alongside the foundation of the house. 

The second clue is the state of your grass.  If it starts to look more like hay than grass, that’s a sign that the ant colony is preventing your lawn from getting the nutrients it needs from your irrigation system.  Last look for soil disruption from where the ants have tunneled.

If you suspect an ant invasion, contact your Nutri-Lawn irrigation service experts and get a professional to take a look at the problem. 

How to Get Rid of an Ant Infestation
First and foremost, your best defense is a good offense, and that offense is maintaining a happy, healthy lawn.  Cut your grass to the right height; give your lawn its nutrients and its water as required. 

However, if lawn populations are dense, then consider a formal treatment option.  We suggest spot treating the area due to the beneficial impact ants can have in controlling populations of pests.

Blast Those Ants with Effective Irrigation Techniques
Ants thrive in hot, dry conditions.  So your best line of defense against ant infestations will be maintaining a moist, cool lawn.  And the best way to keep your lawn moist without overdoing it and leaving room for other things (such as disease and fungi) to move in involves our Oakville irrigation systems

Lawns do need to be watered on a regular schedule.  In an ideal world, rain would take care of that, but unfortunately for your lawn, it can go weeks without raining.  Our irrigation systems take the guesswork (and the effort) out of the equation.  They operate by sensing the level of groundwater.  If it has just rained recently, then your sprinklers won’t run.  So you can keep the ants at bay without drowning your lawn.

A well-watered lawn is the first line of defense against ant invasions.  Contact Nutri-Lawn today to set up a free consultation!