Being a homeowner comes with a large number of responsibilities. Vacuuming, washing dishes, watering plants, mowing the lawn, sweeping up the driveway, and many other things ranging from quick and easy to difficult and time-consuming. If you have a large backyard with an equally sized lawn, you may be fine with getting professional lawn care services, but not when it is going to cost you a pretty penny.  The cause may be pine trees that are constantly dropping needles, which can create a huge obstruction. Resolving this issue will give you a great deal of relief and bring your lawn care quotes down to earth.

Pick Up the Needles Occasionally

Pine needles are naturally going to fall off, but this does not mean that they should do it in huge bundles. To reduce your recurring costs, you should take care of picking up the needles when they pile up. Investing in a reliable leaf rake will prevent you from having to struggle with moving these needles elsewhere. The best time to do your own raking is the day before lawn care servicing to make sure there is no buildup.

Release Parasitic Wasps

Quite a few bugs out there like to cause problems with pine trees and make the needles fall off. One of these critters is conifer sawflies, in which both the larvae and adult female cause damage. While you can handle the problem by removing limbs that have been affected, you might want a more permanent solution. Getting your hands on a few thousand parasitic wasps can lead to the elimination of sawflies.

Attract Predatory Birds

The pine butterfly is another insect that can cause minor to severe damage to pine trees. When these trees are not healthy, it is only natural for pine needles to decline in health and eventually fall off. The key is to attract butterfly predators to your property, especially birds because they are easy to please. Birds such as sparrows, orioles, robins, and thrushes are all willing to eat butterflies. Adding a large bird bath, a few birdhouses, and even bird feeders to your yard can bring enough birds to control the pests. The bird seed will act as a food supplement for birds who are not primarily carnivorous eaters.

If you want to enjoy routine lawn care costs that are affordable and do not end up having extra fees, you have to be willing to clean up some pine needles every once in a while and keep pests from being an issue. To find out more, speak with someone like Pattie Group, Inc.