Should You Cut Your Grass Before Spraying for Bugs?

Bugs in the lawn often ruin the soil and cause bite marks throughout the grass. Depending on the bug, your lawn could get infested rather quickly. While dog feces, bacteria, improper lawn care, and other issues can invite bugs to the grass, mowing it can be an effective solution.

You should cut your grass before spraying for bugs because it helps most of the insecticide get to the stems where the insects are hiding. It also prevents the bugs from having shelter from the insecticide. Spraying after you mow is a better alternative for pollinating insects, too.

In this article, we’ll talk about when you should mow your lawn before spraying it for bugs, what happens if you wait to do it until after you apply the bug treatment, and how you can deal with insects after cutting the grass.

Should You Mow Before Spraying for Insects?

You should mow before spraying for insects to stop them from escaping. Many insects live in tall grass, including ants, ticks, aphids, and other invasive pests. If you mow the lawn, they’ll leave, letting the insecticide act as a preventative measure that doesn’t let them return.

Here’s why you should mow beforehand:

• Tall grass prevents the insecticide from reaching the insects. If you’re worried about mowing near bees, all you have to do is use a weed trimmer. You can do the same for all of the edges of your lawn to keep all sorts of bugs from calling your grass their home.
• Short grass is better for insecticides because it targets the hidden bugs. These insects can stay near the roots and soil, preventing the insecticides from reaching them. All of the liquid will land on the upper layer of grass, but it won’t get to the bugs or stems.
• Mowing the grass before spraying for bugs helps the treatments soak into the soil and plants. Cutting the lawn will expose the soil and new grass. When you spray the insecticide, it’ll go directly to the bottom and target the bugs you’re trying to get rid of.
• You can get rid of a lot of insects by mowing the lawn. Mowing the grass eliminates ticks, aphids, grasshoppers, and many other bugs. The simple act of using a weed eater or lawnmower will cut your problem in half (no pun intended), then you can follow it up with an insecticide.
• Pollinating insects need to be able to access their food source without getting harmed. Bees, butterflies, and other insects are rarely an issue. They need dandelions and other flowers we refer to as weeds to thrive. By mowing the grass, you’ll let these insects pollinate nearby flowers without dealing with drifting insecticides.

As you can see, it’s almost always better to mow the grass first. However, some people are set on mowing after the insecticide is used. Below, we’ll cover some examples of what could happen if you mess up the order.

Mowing After Insecticide

Mowing after using insecticide will remove a lot of the chemical treatments, making them much less effective. Furthermore, cutting the grass will send the insecticide throughout the yard, causing dangers for you, your pets, and neighboring insects. It’s best to mow before any herbicides or insecticides are used.

According to Science Daily, mowing before you use chemicals is better for pollinating insects. Whether or not you’re concerned for the bugs, you should care about the flowers they pollinate and help grow. Your garden will benefit significantly from pollinating insects.

If you accidentally mow after using an insecticide, not much will happen. The bugs will likely stay where they are. Some of them will inevitably be affected, but many bugs hide below the grass. If it’s uncut, they might be irritated, but they’ll more than likely come back.

On a side note, trimming the bushes gets rid of spider webs. There’s a pattern when dealing with bugs around the yard; Maintaining it with weed eaters, lawnmowers, and hedge trimmers keeps the insects away.

How to Get Rid of Bugs After Mowing

To get rid of bugs after mowing:

1. Spread a natural insecticide throughout the lawn that won’t hurt the grass. For instance, I’ve used the Mighty Mint Pest Control Spray with great results. It’s rather strong, so a little goes a long way. While I used it to treat black widows, you can also use it for ants, roaches, and other spiders.
2. Go Mow suggests keeping the lawn mowed to a reasonable height throughout the year. I generally recommend you should keep your lawn between two to three inches long. This length helps the grass stay fresh and prevents bugs, fungus, and other yard issues from springing up into the soil.
3. Remove feces from your pets (and other animals) as quickly as possible. The odors can attract flies from all parts of the yard. Another issue is that the bacteria from pee and poop will ruin the soil, attract other pests, and make the insects much more difficult to manage.
4. Get rid of spilled garbage or mulch on the lawn if it’s not being used. These spills might seem to be not that bad, but the sugar found in most foods attracts spiders, ants, maggots, flies, and other insects. It’s easier to throw an apple away immediately rather than letting the bugs fill the grass to get it.
5. Don’t let the soil stay soaked for too long. If it’s raining all of the time, you don’t need to use the sprinklers. Rainwater is quite effective at growing grass and saturating the soil. Adding more water into the dirt will make it a mushy environment for all sorts of bugs, fungi, and root rot to show up.

Wrapping It Up

Believe it or not, the order in which you mow your grass and spray for insects or weeds plays a significant role in their effectiveness. Doing it in the wrong order won’t target as many insects, nor will it allow pollinating bugs to escape and stay away from the chemical treatments.