Summer is just around the corner and the one thing you can always count on in Missouri in the summer is — nothing . Missouri summers are as unpredictable as our winters. Don’t worry! The team at Atkins is here to help.

What we do know for sure is:

The good news is…we can help you with all of these things and more!

As you prepare for your summer, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Japanese Beetles – They will be back.

Year after year, these pests devastate your beautiful landscape in a hurry. These destructive, bronze-winged emerald green beetles appear in late June and feed for about six weeks then lay eggs for the next season’s crop. They love your roses, linden, grapes, fruit trees and other desirable landscape plants.  

Don’t hang pheromone traps!
Many people hang pheromone traps with the intent to capture as many of these hungry beetles as possible, but what typically happens is that these hormone baited traps only ATTRACT thousands more of the beetles into your area from miles away to feed and lay eggs!! If you care for your plants and like your neighbors, you might want to reconsider the use of pheromone traps for these guys. 

See our Blog for FAQ’s on these pests!

2. Turf Disease Season is Upon Us

Disease and insect pressures increase this time of year.  A couple of the top issues are Brown Patch,  a soil-borne fungus that thrives in many of our tall fescue lawns, and white grubs, which are a beetle larvae that feed on the root system of your turf.

As the soil temps rise, the fungus becomes active, especially when the humidity is high and overnight temperatures exceed 65 degrees.  Also as the soil temp warms, many C-shaped white grubs move closer to the surface to feed on the roots the turf. Proper mowing and watering practices can help minimize damages caused by these pests. Coupling either issue with heat and drought stress will only make things worse for your lawn, so, water deep and less often and then mow as high as possible and as often as possible. If you see something that doesn’t quite look right on your lawn, give us a call. We’ll come out and take a look for free!

3. Keep the Creepy Crawlers Away

During the summer months fleas, ticks, chiggers and mosquitoes make spending time out in your lawn quite agonizing for your family and your pets. You can treat your pets to keep these pests at bay AND treat your lawn to reduce these pest populations even more!

You may also see critters moving inside the house like ants, spiders, pill bugs and millipedes. Treating around the exterior of your home can help to protect it from this sort of invasion. We offer a variety of programs to meet your needs. Call today to discuss all your pest control options.

4. Irrigation Systems and Drought Management

Natural rainfall is one of the best things for our lawn and plants, but when there’s a drought, keeping our lawn and landscape hydrated can be nearly impossible.

Installing an automated sprinkler system is a great home improvement or business project worth considering. If you’re fortunate to already have one now, it is a good time to evaluate its effectiveness and look at potential water saving options from broken sprinkler heads and leaks to WiFi controllers. During a drought period it is often easy to distinguish which areas of your lawn and landscape are not receiving proper coverage.  Bringing in a professional irrigation service contractor may be necessary to make the changes to better help you save water ($$) and your plants.

5. Decontaminate with COVID-19 Disinfectant Cleaning

If anyone at your office partied at the Lake of the Ozarks over Memorial Day weekend, you might want to call Atkins for a COVID-19 disinfectant cleaning – STAT!

As the state slowly starts to reopen, we’re here to help stop the spread of the coronavirus and pleased to continue to offer disinfectant cleaning solutions approved by the EPA and proven to kill the virus. Call today for a free quote for your business. We will come anywhere in the state of Missouri with this service.

We’re here to meet all your needs! Give us a call at (573) 874-5100 or visit our website for more details.

The post 5 Ways to Survive the 2020 Summer appeared first on Atkins Inc.