Pesticides & Treatments
Mosquito & Pest Control
Getting annoyed with mosquitoes and other pests in your backyard? The SETZER Group is your quick & effective solution to reclaim your outdoor spaces. Our experienced outdoor pest control experts offer a variety of options that will transform your yard into a relaxing and safe pest free space for your family, pets and friends!
Pre-Emergents
Even a healthy lawn is vulnerable to invasive species of weeds carried by wind, animals and humans. That’s why it is important to have an ongoing strategy to manage crabgrass, bluegrass, chickweed and other common weeds. Using pre-emergent herbicides tackles the weeds before they have the chance to germinate. Seeds can lie dormant in the soil and sprout at irregular intervals according to each weed’s sprouting season and cycle.
Our pre-emergent pesticides are a powerful part of preventive lawn management. These herbicides create a barrier below the surface of the soil that kills the sprouting weed as it emerges from the seed. With our professional approach we manage the delicate challenge of getting the right strength and distribution to minimize damage to non-target plants and grasses. To be effective, pre-emergent weed management has to be timed with laying of new turf, repeated regularly, and watered in to allow the pre-emergent to accumulate at safe levels beneath the soil surface.
Post-Emergents
Common weeds such as sedge and crabgrass are easy to identify in areas where they don’t belong, from golf courses to athletic fields. These nuisance weeds can be controlled after they have sprouted with a post-emergent herbicide, either as a spray-on or granular treatment. Depending on the weed variety, we will either apply a systematic approach, which penetrates deep into the root system, or a contact approach to attack the foliage.
In both cases, care must be taken not to impact non-target plants, and to match the correct herbicide for each weed variety. Post-emergent weed control is a delicate process and it’s important to distribute the herbicide precisely and at the right strength so as not to damage the soil or other plants.
Fungicides
Fungal spores thrive in moist, humid lawn environments, and once established they can be notoriously hard to eradicate. Preventive action is key, through regular treatment with liquid or granular fungicides. Part of the challenge is correctly identifying fungal growth. Look for yellowed or spotted grass, or long-blade grass with a powdery or bleached appearance.
Fungal infection targets both the leaves and the root of the plant and the risk is not restricted to the wetter seasons. Anthracnose, for example, is common during periods of drought or sustained heat.
As with pre- and post-emergents, fungicide treatments can be preventative or curative depending on how far fungal growth has spread. We use a variety of systematic or contact approaches to establish a protective barrier on leaves and kill spores below the soil surface in the root system. The job is never done, so regular spraying is essential, as is rotating fungicide applications since plants quickly become immune to the same treatment.
Insecticides
Wherever there is lush St. Augustine Grass, Bluegrass or other juicy varieties that offer shade and moisture, the presence of cinch bugs, mole crickets, grub worms and other common pests is inevitable. These tiny insects and larva gorge on the plant juice or root system, particularly in summer, turning the grass yellow and brown.
They may be visible from May through September as clouds of bugs above the long grass, but in the case of mole crickets and grubs, they might be hidden beneath the surface of the soil. In either case, they are causing persistent damage to the health of your lawn.
Managing the common lawn bugs involves a two-part strategy that attacks insects across the entire lifecycle. First we spray with insecticide to kill the adult insects, then we support with a systematic approach to neutralize the infant larvae among the root system.
Fire Ant Control
Common across the warm, humid climates of the South, fire ants pack a painful bite and can even move into homes in swarms of up to 200,000 ants during heavy rains or flooding. Often, the first warning that they have invaded a lawn is an unexpected sting.
Fire ants build deep underground tunnel colonies that are only visible on the surface through scattered mounds of soil. Given the speed and ferocity with which disturbed fire ants attack, a professional approach is important. First the existing mounds are sprayed to subdue the fire ants at the surface. Then a treatment is applied to penetrate deep into the colony where the queen and larvae are concealed. Some herbicides for St. Augustine Grass or centipedegrass incorporate fire ant prevention, so both threats can be addressed with one treatment.
Flea, Tick & Mite Control
From spring onwards, fleas, ticks and mites become a nuisance in any yard with long grass or brush. Not only do they give an irritating bite, but they can also transmit dangerous diseases such as Lyme Disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Households with pets should pay particular attention, but even if you don’t have a pet, wildlife and rodents in the yard can still spread fleas and ticks.
The problem might ease off in winter, but flea, tick and mite eggs can lie dormant in the soil throughout the colder months and emerge on cue for summer. Regular treatment with a pesticide is advisable from spring onwards to kill the adults on the leaves and the eggs in the soil. Keeping grass short and cutting back brush will also limit infestation.
Termite Control
Not all termites thrive in firewood, tree roots or decking, where they pose a structural risk to the home wherever they can penetrate exposed wood. Agricultural or desert termites build colonies beneath the soil, causing significant damage to the lawn by destroying healthy root structure.
Lawn termites love damp soil but will emerge during dry season. They are easy to spot thanks to the dirt tubes they build to protect themselves from the sun. Bait stations can be effective in luring termites away from the colony, but the best way to manage them is by injecting a barrier treatment beneath the surface of the soil. Not only does this contain their spread and destroy larvae, but it also avoids exposing any pets in the area to harmful chemicals.