Does Artificial Turf Deter Pests?
There are advantages to artificial grass to consider when choosing between natural and fake grass. One advantage is that artificial turf can’t house pests in the same way that natural grass does. This inhospitality leads to fewer bugs in your home or bothering you whenever you’re in your yard.
But how does artificial turf prevent pests from nesting outside your home? In short, it eliminates everything about yards that animals find appealing. Since it’s not a natural part of the environment, it’s not sustainable for life, and it’s not something that various organisms can continually live inside. Specifically, it eliminates grass, soil, and standing water.
Artificial Grass Stops Grass-Eating Pests
Many pests eat grass to survive. This includes bugs like fleas and ticks and larger animals like squirrels and rats. Some of these bugs also use foliage as a nesting area to lay eggs. Others eat and pollinate flowers, being drawn to them whenever they happen to grow in your yard.
With artificial turf, there’s nothing for these animals to eat. They won’t try to settle in your yard because they can’t survive off of what’s in there. And it’s not just these pests – it’s also the pests that eat these pests. Don’t expect to see as many spiders on artificial turf, as they have no bugs to eat.
Artificial Grass Stops Soil-Using Pests
Some pests use soil to lay their eggs. They need somewhere hidden to burrow so their larvae can hatch free of the sight of predators and humans. An artificial turf gives them no such safety. There’s nothing to burrow into and nowhere for these bugs to settle.
On top of that, other burrowing animals have nowhere to live. If you have artificial turf, you don’t have to worry about gophers, moles, or rats living in your yard and digging up the grass.
Also, keep in mind that many bugs eat the microbes found in the soil. If there’s no soil, there’s nothing for these species to eat.
Artificial Grass Stops Water-Based Pests
Some bugs, like mosquitoes, need standing water to reproduce. This standing water can come in the form of a watered lawn that hasn’t had the time to soak up its own moisture. This window gives mosquitoes time to lay eggs and proliferate around your home.
You don’t need to water your lawn at all when you have artificial turf. When it gets dirty, you simply spray it with a hose. The water will quickly drain through its built-in drainage systems. There’s no opportunity for mosquitoes and other pests to utilize standing water present in your lawn.
Preventative Maintenance
Even if pests are generally less attracted to artificial turf due to a lack of resources, there are still ways to be careful and keep pests out.
You still need to spray down any messes on your lawn. If you have a pet, their waste can attract flies and other pests, so you still need to clean up after them regularly. Of course, this is equally a problem with a natural lawn and not something unique to artificial turf.
Keep leaves, twigs, and other debris off of your lawn. Bugs like to use these as hiding spots and create nests under them. Never leave food or decomposing materials on your artificial lawn, as these provide sustenance to pests. Once again, this applies to natural grass as well.
Finally, make sure the drainage systems aren’t blocked. If you don’t have proper drains, you’ll have trouble removing insect-attracting factors from your artificial grass.
FAQs
Can bugs live in artificial grass?
Bugs cannot easily live on artificial turf. Bugs need grass, soil, and soil microbes to survive – all things fake grass doesn’t have. On top of that, it’s often too hot for pests to live inside. Replacing your natural lawn with a turf field is a great way to eliminate bugs.
Can animals pee on artificial grass?
Many artificial turf installations are built with drainage systems so animals can pee as much as they want. If you need fake grass for your dog, we can install it for you.
Do spiders like fake grass?
Spiders do not nest in fake grass, as it has fewer bugs than natural grass. It disrupts the food chain – without grass, there’s nothing for herbivorous bugs to eat, and without those bugs, there’s nothing for spiders to eat.
Conclusion
If you’re having pest problems, why not install artificial turf? Pests can cause disease and other ailments, and pesticides can harm pets. Fake grass can eliminate these pests poison-free by preventing them from settling down in the first place.
Without grass, soil, and water, there’s nothing for animals to survive on. Artificial grass is a perfect way to stop pests in their tracks and make your home cleaner. Call today to have your natural grass replaced with pest-free fake grass.
