Turf Wars: The Battle for Your Yard

Raleigh, NC–It's your home and lawn, right? So why share them with destructive pests? Your yard should be a pleasant and relaxing place - free of worries about insects that can ruin your lawn and even hurt the ones you love.

"Your yard should be a place where you can enjoy yourself and the great outdoors," says Bayer Advanced™ Garden Expert Lance Walheim, the author of Lawn Care for Dummies and who often writes for Sunset and other national gardening publications. "It shouldn't be a place where you have to deal with destructive bugs or worry about the diseases they may carry."

But there are really two types of destructive pests: those that damage the lawn or affect people by attacking aboveground, or those that attack you lawn by chewing on the grass roots. It is important to make sure you are treating for the right pests.

A few pests that can be roaming above or below your lawn:

• Chinch Bugs- In Southern states, the chinch bug is the most destructive pest of St. Augustine grass lawns. Consumers spend more than $50 million annually trying to control them.
• Mole Crickets- This is the #1 lawn pest on the Gulf Coast. The bug damages lawns two ways: by feeding on the roots and through significant tunneling. Severe damage may include extensive tunneling and loose soil and may result in complete turf loss in heavily infested areas.
• Ticks- Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are two illnesses transferred by ticks. Lyme disease is concentrated in New England and the mid-Atlantic states and may cause chronic arthritis if left untreated. Dogs are highly susceptible too. RMSF tends to occur in the Southeastern states and causes severe headache, exhaustion, deep muscle pain, chills, nausea and a characteristic rash.
• White Grubs- The larvae of certain beetles, grubs are the most notorious of all turf-damaging soil insects. In late summer, fall and next year's spring, grubs live in the top few inches of soil, feeding on the roots of lawn grasses and destroying the turf above. In early summer, grubs transform into adult beetles that emerge from the soil. Some, like Japanese beetles become leaf-feeding adults that damage roses, trees and other plants aboveground.
• Fire Ants*- According to www.antcolony.com, imported fire ants have spread to infest over nine southern states and over 275 million acres within the United States over the last 76 years. However, the spread is only part of the problem. As they spread, the number of mounds reach densities of up to 1,000/acre, with each containing several hundred thousand stinging ants. They become one of the more common insects in the area. Although fire ants are sometimes life threatening, they are generally a nuisance pest, but with the ability to sting. Fear of getting stung deters some human activities and stings may result in serious medical problems.

Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Granules, which is available in granular and spray formulas, combines two unique Bayer active ingredients that work together to control both aboveground and belowground pests. One ingredient is targeted to kill surface-feeding insects on contact while the other ingredient is systemically absorbed into plants and grass roots to control and prevent insect infestations underground for up to three months. Rain or water cannot wash off this protection!

*For fire ant control with Bayer Advanced™ Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Granules, only mound treatment is recommended.

About Bayer Advanced

Bayer Advanced lawn and garden products are created by Bayer Environmental Science, a business unit of Bayer CropScience LP and part of the Bayer AG family, a Fortune Global 500 company that makes such well-known brands as Bayer Aspirin, Aleve® and Alka-® Research Triangle Park, NC, is the business headquarters of the company''s NAFTA Region. Kansas City, MO, is the company''s core technology center. The global headquarters of Bayer CropScience is located in Monheim, Germany.

Bayer Advanced products deliver Better Science. Better Results.™ and carry a money-back guarantee. They are available at major retailers and independent garden shops across the United States. You can learn more by visiting www.bayeradvanced.com or by calling 1-877-BAYERAG.

Luckie Strategic PR Media Contacts

Lori Merricks (205) 877-9736, lmerricks@luckie.net
Mariesa Woodring (205) 877-9705, mwoodring@luckie.net
Leigh Ann Monitor (205) 877-9795, lmonitor@luckie.net

Products Mentioned In This Press Release

Complete Insect Killer For Soil & Turf Granules