Mandy and Bob Harrison survey the chafer beetle damage in the back yard of their Rochester Avenue home.

image credit: SARAH PAYNE/THE TRI-CITY NEWS

Bob Harrison and his wife, Mandy, have lived in their Rochester Avenue home for 30 years, having fallen in love with the view that stretches all the way to the Fraser River, the flat, expansive back yard and the creek flowing beside the house.

Never in those 30 years did they expect to be dealing with a pest the likes of the chafer beetle.

In the past few months the Harrisons have watched their carefully tended lawn turn into an apocalyptic battle scene the crows pecking away at great chunks of grass, turning it into bubbled balls of turf, and the raccoons laying waste to entire swaths, nosing the sod up and rolling it back with nary a root in sight.

"We had a beautiful lawn here for years and years," Harrison said, shaking his head as he surveyed the damage in his back yard.

And after months of trying to battle the chafer beast, Harrison is throwing up his hands in defeat.

"What do we do with this? It's totally ruined," he said of the more than 6,000 sq. ft. yard.

The couple's grandson did a bit of online research for them and came up with coyote urine as a possible antidote, so Harrison picked up a small bottle from an outdoors store in Bellingham. He sprinkled some on a test patch of grass and tied a urine-soaked rag to a stake that he set out in another area.

"That night the raccoons came back, sniffed around it didn't bother them at all," Harrison said. "The next night the crows came back as well."

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Chafer beetle wreaks havoc on Rochester back yard

Virginia Eadie never needed the city's help, but she got some shovel service anyway.

Video:Omaha plow dumps dirt, grass in woman's yard Monday night

"I was virtually in shock," Eadie said.

An Omaha plow driver missed the mark, dumping dirt and grass all over her driveway Monday night.

Eadie called the city to complain and then called 7 Can Help.

"She was telling me it's our responsibility for the sidewalk and I said, 'How can we be responsible for what your trucks have been doing?'" Eadie said.

Moments after KETV NewsWatch 7 arrived to record the damage, a city plow drove by and cleaned much of it up. The crew said that situations like this happen sometimes.

"That much snow, you really can't feel the curb from your plow so they run up and scalp it," the crewman said.

"We really appreciate the attention and the service, and I think your coming had a bearing on it and it could be too that we called the mayors hotline that might've also sped the process up a little bit," Eadie said.

The city said it will put sod where the plow tore up the grass, but not until the spring when the ground thaws out.

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Omaha plow dumps dirt, grass in woman's yard Monday night

Grass sod lawns are a large part of the grass lawn industry in New Jersey and New York. The selection of creating a lawn from new sod is that you almost instantly have a growing green area where nothing was the day before. Sod lawns are planted by seed or other vegetative methods at commercial farms, and grown generally for one to three years to create your new instant lawn.

If you want a nearly instant lawn then consider CF Gardens for your lawn grass sod supplier. We offer grass sod delivery or visit our garden center.

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Sodding is many time described as being like installing a new carpet, with the exception that your new lawn will need to be tenderly cared for until it re-establishes itself in your soil.

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Buy Grass Sod with Delivery, New Lawn Grass Sod for Sale ...

Established in Marlboro, NJ, in 1906, Brookrest Sod Farm is a third generation family farm. Potatoes and vegetables were the original crops, supplying Northern NJ and NYC markets.

The farm evolved over time, producing a wide variety of crops including vegetables, field corn, soy beans, hay and straw. In 1970, sod was added. In the early 1980s, total crop production exceeded 1200 acres.Today, the Stattel family concentrates their production on sod, ornamental crops, bedding plants and grain.

Premium high quality sod production has been a specialty here since 1970. Only turf grass varieties that are tested and recommended by Cook College of Rutgers University are grown. A combination of university recommendations, and three generations of their own knowledge, enables Brookrest Sod Farm to produce the highest quality turf in the tri state area.

Presently, our farms are located in Monmouth and Burlington Counties, and we are proud to serve the Central New Jersey and New York Metro area with premium quality turf grass sod.

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Brookrest Sod Farm Marlboro, NJ

Its not yet spring, but it is harvest time for sod.

Theres plenty of zoysia on its way to market, but it's a different story for Bermuda grass this year.

We feel that were just low (on) our overall supply heading into the peak season of 2015, said Brad Hubinek, owner of Super Sod in Raleigh.

He said the entire sod industry in the Southeast is having supply problems with the increasingly popular grass. The problems began during the recession of 2007. When construction plunged, so did the demand for sod. Thats when a lot of growers switched their fields to other crops.

Now, construction has rebounded, and so has the demand for sod. Higher sod prices are expected this season as the industry works through the shortage.

The sod industry really follows construction very closely, said Grady Miller, a crop scientist at North Carolina State University.

His best advice to homeowners this season is to be patient.

But if they need grass, they may have to choose another grass other than Bermuda grass, Miller said.

Hubinek said zoysia is a good alternative.

Zoysia is a fantastic grass, a warm-season grass like Bermuda, he said. If a homeowner wants to have the best looking yard in the neighborhood, that's the option to go with.

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Low supply pushing up prices for popular Bermuda grass

At Triangle Turf Company, our primary goal is to produce the highest quality turf grass available anywhere. The extra care we put into our grass to make it the best is something you will see every spring for years to come. When you are ready to buy your sod ask your dealer if the turf came from Triangle Turf Company. This is quality you can trust. And remember, when it comes to the first in quality turf grass the grass really is greener on our side of the fence.

The grass is really greener on the Triangle Turf side of the fence! Do you want your neighbors to notice how your lawn stands out every spring? At Triangle Turf Company, we are dedicated to producing the high-quality St. Augustine grass, Bermuda grass, and Zoysia grass that will make you the envy of your neighbors and have them asking you for lawn care tips. Our quality turf grass sod is used in first-class installations in San Antonio, Austin, and throughout most of the rest of Texas. Call toll-free, 1-800-753-5182 for more information and a free quote.

When youre ready to begin a sod installation project, ask your sod dealer if his turfgrass comes from Triangle Turf. An affirmative answer means that your sod dealer focuses on quality work and it will assure you that youll have a lawn to be proud of for many years to come.

Our grasses are grown to a standard of 95% purity or better!

Please spend some time looking through our website. Weve provided information that we hope will help you choose the right grass for your location and installation. Triangle Turf Company specializes in growing sod that performs well in the demanding climates of San Antonio and Austin, so if youre looking for first-quality turf grass developed to thrive in your area of Texas, give us a call at 1-800-753-5182. We can deliver sod pallets directly to your project site in San Antonio or Austin.

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St. Augustine Grass, Zoysia Grass, and Bermuda Grass Sod ...

Winter is for the birdsso feed them.

Thats the advice of Curtis Stillwell at the Grass Pad, a nursery stock, seed, sod and wild bird enthusiast store in Olathe, Kansas.

Just get off your butt and do it, he jokes. Its not rocket science. You can buy a small hanging feeder and a 10 pound bag of wild birdseed for less than $10. Start small and sees who shows up.

And who might show up?

According to Stillwell, during the winter in northeast Kansas, blue jays, cardinals, house sparrows, song sparrows, mourning doves, house finches, house wrens, purple finches, American finches, tufted titmouses, chickadees, hairy and downy woodpeckers, red bellied woodpeckers, red wing black birds, grackles, nuthatches and flickers may pay a visit.

However, whether humans should feed wild birds, according to Stillwell, is a personal choice, akin, he says, to helping a homeless person on the street. Melody Weller at the Wild Bird House at the Brookwood Shopping Center in Topeka agrees, but adds that feeding birds doesnt make them dependent.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks apparently thinks its OK to feed feathered friends, as it provides information on feeding and attracting birds at kdwpt.state.ks.us/Services/Wildlife-Diversity/Bird-Feeders.

KDWP says birds have three simple needs: food, cover and water.

And for humans, Weller adds, a good viewing area from a window, with the feeder or birdhouse placed where predators cant harm the birds.

For cover as well as food that means habitat. The KDWP and Kansas State and Extension Forestry recommend a song bird bundle of shrubs, such as tartarian honeysuckle, eastern red cedar, Nanking cherry and aromatic sumac. They also suggest a woodpile or an old Christmas tree.

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At Home Living: Winter feeding attracts variety of featured friends

A group of top women's soccer players have withdrawn a gender discrimination lawsuit aimed at not being forced to play this year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf.

Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the men's World Cup is played on natural grass.

That sparked the lawsuit against world governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) filed last year with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Attorneys for the players said they were forced to drop the lawsuit in part due to delaying tactics by FIFA and the CSA so the 24 teams - including Australia's Matildas - could have enough time to train on the proper surface for the global showdown that opens June 6.

"On behalf of the players, I want to thank all who aided our fight for natural grass fields at the 2015 World Cup including our volunteer lawyers from Canada and the United States," US star Abby Wambach said in a statement.

"Our legal action has ended but I am hopeful that the players' willingness to contest the unequal playing fields -- and the tremendous public support we received during the effort -- marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to women's sports."

Wambach was joined in the complaint by several other top players, including US striker Alex Morgan, Germany's Nadine Angerer and Spain's Veronica Boquete.

Even actor Tom Hanks took up the players' cause, saying last year on Twitter: "Opinion: Women's World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx."

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke praised the desire of the women even as his group had fought against their goal of natural grass for the event.

"Over the last months we, myself included, have personally engaged with players and technical staff from the qualified teams to address their concerns and doubts," he said.

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Women's World Cup surface lawsuit dropped

A group of top women's football players have withdrawn a gender discrimination lawsuit aimed at not being forced to play this year's FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada on artificial turf.

Being forced to play the event on the surface, which has drawn complaints over injury worries and true rolls and bounces of the ball, irked the women given the men's World Cup is played on natural grass.

That sparked the lawsuit against world governing body FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) filed last year with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

Attorneys for the players said they were forced to drop the lawsuit in part due to delaying tactics by FIFA and the CSA so the 24 teams - including Australia's Matildas - could have enough time to train on the proper surface for the global showdown that opens June 6.

"On behalf of the players, I want to thank all who aided our fight for natural grass fields at the 2015 World Cup including our volunteer lawyers from Canada and the United States," US star Abby Wambach said in a statement.

"Our legal action has ended but I am hopeful that the players' willingness to contest the unequal playing fields -- and the tremendous public support we received during the effort -- marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to women's sports."

Wambach was joined in the complaint by several other top players, including US striker Alex Morgan, Germany's Nadine Angerer and Spain's Veronica Boquete.

Even actor Tom Hanks took up the players' cause, saying last year on Twitter: "Opinion: Women's World Cup is the best Soccer of the year. Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Hanx."

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke praised the desire of the women even as his group had fought against their goal of natural grass for the event.

"Over the last months we, myself included, have personally engaged with players and technical staff from the qualified teams to address their concerns and doubts," he said.

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Women's World Cup artificial turf lawsuit dropped

U.S. forward Abby Wambach and a group of fellow players have withdrawn their complaint of gender discrimination over the artificial turf fields to be used for this years World Cup in Canada.

The artificial turf became a contentious issue with the players, who have claimed that the surface is less forgiving than natural grass and impacts play because of concerns over injury. They also claim that balls travel and bounce differently on turf.

But their overriding complaint was one of equity: The mens World Cup is held on real grass.

Our legal action has ended. But I am hopeful that the players willingness to contest the unequal playing fields and the tremendous public support we received during the effort marks the start of even greater activism to ensure fair treatment when it comes to womens sports, Wambach said in a statement Wednesday.

The players complaint was filed last fall with the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario. It named FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, and the Canadian Soccer Association. Neither budged in reconsidering the planned surface for the event.

The World Cup will be played in six Canadian cities starting in June, with an expanded field of 24 teams. The final is scheduled for July 5 at Vancouvers BC Place.

The players want to focus on their matches and not the controversy, attorney Hampton Dellinger said.

The players are doing what FIFA and CSA have proven incapable of: putting the sport of soccer first, he said.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke issued a statement saying that over the past several months he had met with players and the technical staffs from World Cup-qualified teams.

What was very clear from the meetings with the players was their desire and enthusiasm about making this the greatest FIFA Womens World Cup ever, and to ensure that they have the best possible conditions to perform well, he said. This is a goal they share with FIFA and we are totally committed to providing the best possible surface to enable everyone to enjoy a great footballing spectacle.

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Players withdraw complaint in Canada over Women's World Cup turf