Insects are the key to a healthy habitat.  Eighty percent of animals eat insects or eat animals that feed on insects.  While we may be tempted to eliminate them, unwise use of pesticides can harm people, pets, beneficial organisms, and the environment.

Some pest management practices recommended by Broward County are:

• Use pest-resistant plant varieties that can tolerate the conditions in your yard.
• Go easy on water and fertilizer.  Using too much of either wastes time, money and causes excessive growth, which makes plants vulnerable to insects and disease.
• Mow to the proper height and prune selectively.  When you mow your grass too short or over prune your trees it weakens them and invites pests.  Mow St. Augustine grass at the highest level of your lawn mower.

Visit NatureScape Broward for more details

Mosquitoes

Learn how to control the breeding of mosquitoes around your property.  Mosquitoes can carry serious diseases, including the Zika virus.
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Ficus Whitefly:  How to Help Your Landscape Cope

Efforts to understand and control this pest are still ongoing but there are several options currently available.
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Lethal Bronzing Disease (LBD): Used to be called Texas Phoenix Palm Decline

Efforts to understand and control this type of bacteria infecting palms is still ongoing but here is some information and where the disease has spread to as of now:
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Lethal Viral Necrosis

Have you noticed yellowish, splotchy patches on your lawn?  Dead spots streaking on the leaf blades?  Maybe an unhealthy yellowish- tinge, some dead turf or excessive weeds cropping in?  You may be experiencing the impacts of an outbreak of Lethal Viral Necrosis that is killing lawns throughout parts of Central and South Florida. The disease is a complex of two viruses. Unfortunately, there is no cure and lawns will eventually need to be resodded if they become infected.
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