If you need anything done to your property from area preparation to complete tree and plant replacements, we will be there to help bring out the potential of your lawn and landscape.

Pest Control

Serving the Outer Banks' communities for over 20 years

The cost of our lawn care program is determined by the size of your lawn. Whether you need us to help control pests such as fire ants and grubs or do a soil analysis, or set your lawn on a program to better health and beauty, we are the company you have been looking for. We have the experience, tools and knowledge to give you the beautiful lawn you have always wanted.

OBX Harmful Insect Grubs

Grub Control

Concerns are often raised about white grubs in lawns and ways to manage them. Late summer into early fall is the time white grub problems are most likely to show in lawns here on The Outer Banks. This insect can cause serious damage when a significant population occurs on a lawn or other turf area. White grubs feed on the roots of grasses, so OBX lawns will display wilting and some browning of affected areas. There could be many reasons for lawns browning, especially in late summer when most grub damage occurs. Our service tech will check the root zone of affected areas for the white, c-shaped grubs. We carefully pull back the sod/turf in suspect areas, the target areas where brown grass meets green grass, and look for the grubs. Usually a population of about 10 or more grubs per square foot will lead to browning of the lawn. If we find grubs we have several methods of treating them.

Chemical Control: Dylox is what we call a contact insecticide. It will kill soon after it is watered into the lawn. Dylox is considered the most effective of all the contact killers. Atlantic Lawn and Landscaping recommends Dylox when large populations of grubs are found and need to be killed quickly. We use Dylox anytime the grubs are actively feeding. Our techs try to catch them early in the life cycle, as they get larger they are harder to kill. Chemical products act quickly, and don't last long in the soil. Some grubs can be missed, it is often necessary if you want your lawn to be healthy Atlantic then applies use the next product called Merit.

Merit is considered the best chemical control for grubs. Merit is a systemic insecticide. This means the grass plant absorbs the product into its system. While chewing on the grass's roots, the grub eats a dose of poison. Merit works very slow, but lasts a long time. Atlantic Lawn usually recommends applying Merit once only in June/early July to kill the second life cycle of grubs. Merit can not be used in the spring because it is not effective when the soil is cool and takes too long to work before the grub turns into a beetle. Call today for a free lawn inspection !

Fire Ant

Fire Ant Control

Thousands of fire ants live in just one fire ant nest. When a mound is disturbed by mowing or simply by walking by it hundreds of ants immediately rush out. Next, they climb on whatever disturbed them, mowers, trimmers, pets or people, then they sting. Some workers at Atlantic Lawn debate about what triggers the hundreds of ants to sting at the same time instead of individually. Most of the time it takes about 10 seconds after climbing up on the victim for the stinging to begin. People vary greatly in their sensitivity to fire ant stings, some people claim to be resistant to the stings. Others people are sensitive to the stings, some may have other medical conditions that can result in serious medical problems or even death from a single sting. While most people can tolerate many stings, severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) occur in less than 1 percent of people stung by fire ants.

Integrated Pest Management, or IPM, is a systems approach to managing insect, mite, disease and weed pests. It uses a combination of suppression tactics to keep pest populations below levels that cause problems. IPM uses cultural, biological and chemical methods. The goal of IPM for fire ants is to prevent or eliminate problems caused by high numbers of fire ants, rather than eliminating all ants from the ecosystem. There is no one best method of fire ant management. The management depends on factors such as the size of the site, how frequently and by how many people it is used by.

Atlantic Lawn uses the first and only dual-active ingredient fire ant bait in the commercial market . Our treatments contain FireStrike! This proprietary dual-active formula contains hydramethylnon and methoprene for season long control. The unique combination delivers powerful 3-way protection against fire ants: 1) Kills the Queen, 2) Sterilizes new invading Queens, 3) Prevents new mounds from forming.

One of Atlantic's licensed applicators will Broadcast AMDRO FireStrike over your entire lawn for season long control of fire ants. For effective individual mount treatments, Atlantic recommends FireStrike in a concentrated formula to control nuisance mounds. Call Atlantic Lawn and Landscaping to discuss affordable solutions to your landscape problem today.

Mole Crickets

Mole crickets are turf pests in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and throughout Florida, and are spreading quickly along the Gulf Coastal region and Eastern Seaboard. Their damage appears as brown spongy areas within normal green grass. Upon arrival, a technician from Atlantic Lawn will begin an inspection, he will determine if the grass has been eaten just below the surface, separating the plant from its roots. Mole crickets are especially fond of Bermuda and centipede grass, but have also been found in St. Augustine lawns in Florida.

The two most popular products used for killing mole crickets in lawns are Talstar and Acephate. These should only be applied by a certified pesticide applicator. All of our technicians are properly trained and will mark the areas of treatment with appropriate warning flags. Talstar is available in liquid concentrate and granules. Acephate is a soluble powder that is applied through your hose end sprayer, in the same manner as Talstar Concentrate is applied.

The biggest mistake (and probably the worst of them all) is the timing of pesticide application. Most companies attempt to kill mole crickets when they first appear. First sightings are in late winter or early spring (depending on your location) and almost all insects we see are in their adult stage. An adult mole cricket is very difficult to kill and trying to do so is not only a waste of your time and money but is also ignoring the most destructive stage of the pest: the nymph stage. The adult mole crickets seen first in the season will tunnel through the surface of soil (leaving their distinctive narrow tunnels) and show themselves by landing on sidewalks, porches, driveways and swimming pools. These adults are attracted at first by light from street lamps, porch lights, etc. where they fly in to infest manicured turf grasses and lawns. They then lay their eggs in pockets beneath the soil.

Forget trying to kill these adult mole crickets! We must time your pesticide application to kill the young or mole cricket nymphs. The nymphs stage is the one that devours your lawn - and they are the easiest to kill if treated properly. After many years of experience, we have found if we apply product too soon, we miss our window of opportunity. Apply too late and the effectiveness of the treatment begins to diminish. Please consider our full program of lawn treatment and allow us to take the worry out of your lawn care needs.


Quality Lawn and Landscape care for Outer Bank homeowners and businesses

We provide a variety of year-round services for your lawn and yard: Basic service includes grass mowing, trimming, edging and power sweeping.

Other services offered include: Spring and Fall Cleanup, Brush Removal, Verticutting, Sod Installation, Installation of Trees, Shrubs and Perennials.