Your Southern Oregon yard needs protection from pests – even during winter months. Winter brings out a few specific types of pests that love to feed on dormant plants. This can lead to damages to your garden and lawn come spring. Learn more about what these pests are and what you can do this winter to protect your outdoor space.
Winter Pests
Chinch bugs and slugs love to hide under debris and eat away at your foliage. Slugs thrive once the temperature drops and seek any new growth they can find to consume. Chinch bugs feast on dead stems or roots. Voles burrow underground to reach your garden or plants. Other rodents hide in your interior spaces or trees and sneak out to get food if their supply runs low. Not all threats to your lawn are of the small variety. You may see rabbits or deer sneaking on to your property to feast on your vegetables.
Fighting Pests
The best way to fight off chinch bugs or slugs is to remove debris as it falls. Snow obviously makes this difficult, but if you experience a light winter, keep an eye out for debris piling up and make sure to remove it. If you do have snow cover, dethatch your lawn as soon as you can after it melts to keep these and other insects from eating your grass.
To stop voles from tunneling into your garden, dig a trench that’s at least a foot deep and wide. This creates a cold vacuum no critter will want to brave during the winter months. It will compel the voles to look beyond your garden for food. If you get a chance to mow during winter, make sure you drop cutting level as low as possible. This helps deter rodents and encourages grass growth in the spring.
For the larger pests, install fencing around your property to deter them. Chicken wire provides excellent protection, as does a wooden fence made from rot-resistant wood like cedar.
For added help, contact A-One Exterminators today in Southern Oregon. It’s not our first fight against the critters who wreak havoc on your garden – we know how to protect your yard against them.
