It’s frustrating dealing with unwanted weeds. They make your yard unsightly and outcompete other plants in your garden for resources like sunlight, water, and nutrients. However, they aren’t just an eyesore. Weeds are also a health and safety hazard.
Weeds can damage walkways, driveways, and foundations. They also attract pests to your home.
This is why practicing weed control at home is important. In the worst cases, you might even have to call a professional.
How Weeds Lure Unwanted Guests To Your Home
Weeds contribute to habitat modification that can transform your yard into an attractive environment for the following kinds of pests:
- Chewing insects: Caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles are attracted to and feed on foliage.
- Sucking insects: Aphids and whiteflies forage on the sap of weeds.
- Rodents: Mice and rats find shelter and food sources in overgrown yards full of weeds.
- Mosquitoes: Dense weeds can create an area where standing water can pool and create an ideal breeding ground.
DIY Homeowner Weed Management Methods
Budget-conscious homeowners can solve their weed problem on their own by following these tips:
- Wear gloves, boots, and eye protection, and start hand-pulling small weed patches. This can be back-breaking work for larger areas.
- Do not mow weeds if possible. This can spread their seeds all over your yard and make the problem worse.
- Burning weeds is another option as long as it’s legal in your area and within your community. Unfortunately, it is considered unlawful for a person to burn “garbage, rubbish, and dead animals” in Las Vegas.
- You can spot-treat certain weed-infested areas using herbicides. Make sure to follow the label instructions carefully.
- Boiling water, vinegar, and cornmeal gluten can remove small areas filled with weeds. However, total elimination will usually require repeated applications.
When To Call In The Professionals
DIY weed treatments work only if you do. Thus, they’re limited by the amount of time you have to put in to remove weeds manually. In addition to this, because certain pests are attracted to weed, you’re at risk for close and potentially dangerous encounters. Thus, it might be time to phone it in and ask for expert help.
Here are examples of scenarios where it’s best to call in professional weed services:
- Larger areas with established weed infestations.
- Unidentified weeds that require specific knowledge for proper removal.
- The presence of invasive weed species that keep on returning.
- The desire for a long-term solution with preventative measures to prevent weed recurrence.
Hire a Weed and Pest Control Expert Today
Weeds can take over your yard and your life if you’re not careful. They can do more damage to your home than just affecting its curb appeal. Habitat modification, which, in a nutshell, means changing an environment’s natural function and species composition, is a real threat that you shouldn’t take lightly.
In the worst cases, weeds can attract unwanted visitors to your home and endanger your family and your pets.
For times when DIY weed control is no longer enough, we at EcoGen Pest extend our services and solutions. We can guarantee a long-term, effective solution to a weed-free and pest-free yard.