When they invade our lawns, playgrounds, parks and homes they become a problem. Fire ants usually nest in mounds of sand or dirt. When disturbed, they will aggressively defend their colony by inflicting a painful sting which is often followed by the presence of a white sore or pustule that may leave a permanent scar. These ants have a venom that is unlike any other stinging insect. Documented cases show that some people suffer severe reactions to as little as one sting, ranging from chest pains and nausea to seizure and coma.
Chinch bugs move in an outward pattern from the center of the dead area of grass.
They are most commonly found in drought stressed lawns. If left untreated they can cause significant damage. An adult chinch bug is approximately 6mm long, black with skinny white wing covers. They can be seen by parting the grass where the green lawn meets the brown lawn or by using the flotation monitoring method. Even lawn care professionals sometimes mistake chinch bug damage for other types of damage such as fungal diseases.