Out of sight...out of mind. Addressing the daily annoyance of ant activity across tees and along putting surface perimeters during the hot weather of July and August is not a priority for most superintendents at a time when current concerns such as frost delays, sluggish recovery from winter damage, and a heavy crop of Poa annua seedheads take center stage. Nevertheless, the most effective way to limit nuisance ant activity later this season is to initiate a control program just as soon as mounds appear this spring.

It doesn't take long for Mother Nature to change the weather patterns. The year started with very wet conditions from rainfall and melting snow, but it didn't take long for the soils to dry down. In fact, many areas of the region are extremely dry. This has challenged turf managers to maintain good soil moisture without over watering. Although some drought stress early in the season is okay, in fact preferred, too much stress can be a bad thing, resulting in turf that is predisposed to disease or other pests later in the year. As the saying goes, "It's much better to manage on the dry side, but be in a position to irrigate if necessary." If things get too wet, there are few options to remove the excess. Besides, a drier golf course plays better. 

 

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