It's hard to believe tiny insects like aphids are capable of inflicting extensive damage to your lawn and landscape. In Iowa, these pests can cause a lot of damage to your lawn and landscape if they're not dealt with in a timely manner. You may notice that your plants are bitten through and discolored after aphids have latched onto them. After they establish themselves on your plants and lawn, it becomes difficult to get rid of them unless you reach out to a professional to apply a curative treatment. After your property is treated for aphids, it's best to try and protect your lawn and plants with nutrient-rich fertilizer to boost their resistance to these pests!

What are aphids, and what does it look like when an infestation breaks out?

Aphid infestation found in lawn in West Des Moines, IA.

Aphids are small, pear-shaped insects that you can find on your lawn, your shrubs, and your trees. They feed on your flowers, young leaves, grass blades, and even the roots of your plants. Their population will increase significantly if left unchecked, and they'll end up doing extensive damage to your plants. Aphid damage includes twisted and curled leaves on your plants and trees, yellow foliage, discolored patches of grass under shaded areas, and stunted/dead shoots. Aphids are also known to carry several plant viruses, which can affect different types of vegetables and flowers.

If you see a lot of ants around your plants, that could be a sign of an aphid infestation. Ants congregate around aphids to feed on the honeydew they produce.

How to Protect Your Lawn from an Aphid Infestation

Professional applying treatment to tree in Polk City, IA.

If you find yourself facing an infestation of aphids, then you'll want to contact a professional to deal with them. You'll need someone with training and experience to successfully eradicate the aphids from your lawn and landscape. Contact a professional as soon as you notice the first sign of an infestation to limit the amount of aphid damage to your landscape. Once the professional arrives on your property, they should apply a curative treatment to your lawn, trees, shrubs, and any other identifiable problem areas. This one-time treatment should get rid of the aphids on your property so that they can't continue to cause damage to your lawn and landscape.

Can you keep aphids from returning to your property?

Unfortunately, there is no preventative treatment to keep aphids from returning to your property. However, there are ways that you can still protect your lawn and landscape. You can strengthen your lawn by providing it with regular fertilizer treatments to give it the nutrients that it needs to stand up against lawn insects like aphids. You can also apply fertilizer to your trees and shrubs to give your plants the strength they need to build up resistance against these pests. If you've had to deal with aphids in the past, then you'll want to look for any signs of aphids by checking for spots where they infested before. Common signs of aphid damage to look out for are yellow foliage or any round discolored patches under shaded areas.

If your lawn is damaged from an aphid infestation, aerating your lawn is another great way to nurse it back to health!

Call us today to schedule our aphid control treatment!

Aphids are small pests that can do a lot of damage to your lawn when left alone. If you notice any aphid damage on your property, then you'll want to reach out to us to schedule our aphid control service. At A+ Lawn & Landscape, we use a one-time spray to eradicate aphids from your lawn. We service commercial and residential properties in Des Moines, IA, and surrounding areas like West Des Moines and Ankeny. Call us today at (515) 289-2020 to schedule our aphid control treatment!