Use Bacillus Thuringiensis Var Galleriae
Like milky spore, bacillus thuringiensis is another natural but parasitic biological agent that can kill grubs in garden soil. Bt is a bacterium, and there are a few different strains. Bt galleriae in particular is effective at killing curl grubs or beetle larvae. A different and more common Bt is used to kill caterpillar larvae from pest moths and butterflies, such as cabbage worms.
Bt is applied to the soil, actively feeding grubs ingest it, and then protein is released inside the grub that interferes with their digestive system. The grubs stop eating and die. It doesnt harm any other insects, species, or wildlife. However, like milky spore, Bt needs to be applied carefully and correctly in order to work. For example, it must be physically ingested by the grubs, it rapidly degrades in sunlight, and has a residual effect of only a few days. Therefore, repeated applications may be required.
How To Treat Grub Damage
After treating your lawn for grub damage, its vital to restore your turfgrass to its former lush, green appearance. For best results, repair grub damage in the fall or early spring. Treating grub damage at this time gives the lawn a better chance of growing and becoming healthy again.
To treat grub damage, the first step is to rake off dead grass and remove thatch. Next, use a lawn aerator to perforate the lawn with small holes. This action allows nutrients to get to the roots, prevents compaction, and results in a healthy lawn. Then, reseed the bare patches of lawn with grass seed.
After you have reseeded the lawn to repair grub damage, thoroughly water the grass.
Proper lawn grub prevention, natural lawn fertilization, and proper mowing will keep your turfgrass in excellent healthfree from white grubs.
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Homemade Grub Repellent Spray
Dont let grubs destroy your plants, use this potent lemon juice spray to keep grubs from finding their way to your yard and laying their eggs. With just a few simple ingredients, you can eliminate a grub worm problem for good.
Place the ingredients in a spray bottle, replace the top, and shake to mix the ingredients. Spray the solution on your lawn and in your garden to keep beetle from finding their way into your yard and laying their eggs.
Many gardeners will use coffee grounds in their garden to give their garden an added boost of fertilizer but be warned this can end up attracting more grubs to your garden. Grub worms love to eat coffee grounds and will quickly take over your lawn and garden. So if you already have signs of a grub problem, you might want to skip the coffee grounds until you have the problem under control.
The average lawn is around 8,000 square feet, which is a lot of food for pesky grubs. If you see signs of a grub infestation, it is essential to treat the problem before it gets out of control. Using these ten helpful tips and homemade recipes for grub worm repellents as a part of your lawn care routine will help keep your yard grub free.
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White Grub Species Associated With Turfgrass In The Midwest
White grubs represent a complex of beetle larvae in the family Scarabaeidae that are common pests of agricultural and horticultural crops. Often called scarab beetles, the family consists of over 30,000 species world-wide. The larvae, or grubs, of several species are common pests of turfgrass. These species include the Japanese beetle, masked chafers , European chafer, Asiatic garden beetle, Oriental beetle, green June beetle, May/June beetles , and black turfgrass ataenius. White grubs damage a variety of warm- and cool-season grasses while feeding in the soil matrix on organic matter, thatch and plant roots. The distribution of these species overlaps significantly and it is not uncommon to find mixed populations of two or more species at a single location.
What Is A Grub Worm
No matter what you call them, grub worms arent actually worms at all. They are the larval life-stage of several different species of beetles in the scarab family. They are a creamy-white color with a rusty orange head and six legs at the front of their body. Grubs are C-shaped and their bodies appear slick and shiny.
While most people think all lawn grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, there are actually several species of beetles that are called grub worms in their larval stage. All have a similar lifecycle and cause the same type of damage to our lawns by eating the roots of the grass. Often Japanese beetles are blamed for the damage of other grub species.
The following four members of the scarab beetle family are known for their turf root-munching activities as larvae. Left unchecked, they are capable of causing conspicuous damage to our lawns .
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Are Grubs Taking Over Your San Francisco Bay Area Yard Were Here To Help
Grubs can do severe damage to your yard. Fortunately, you dont have to accept those brown, dead patches any longer.
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Conventional Ways To Get Rid Of Grubs
If youre looking for a convenient way to get rid of grubs, youre in luck.
There are two primary chemicals used to reduce lawn grub populations: carbaryl and trichlorfon.
Both effectively kill grubs and are generally considered the only options when high concentrations of grubs are found in the fall or early springbefore May.
Research indicates that these compounds will kill 20-80% of grubs when applied in September and 20-55% of grubs when applied in late October.
Heres a breakdown of each:
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Using Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management is a natural pest control solution and process that uses beneficial insects and other biological solutions. Gardeners often choose these forms of pest control due to their lower environmental impact. Beneficial bacteria and diseases are alternative solutions for killing off white grubs long-term and protecting your lawn from infestations for years to come.
Preventive Insecticides That Will Prevent Grub Damage Next Fall And Following Spring
These products are used to prevent future grub problems, not to control the grubs present in the lawn in the spring. They will not work on grubs found in the lawn from the middle of October through the middle of May. However, when applied in June or July they provide excellent protection against the next generation of grubs. So, if you need to apply the preventive insecticide BEFORE the grubs are there, how do you know if you need to use an insecticide or not? If you confirmed grub damage the previous fall or spring, meaning you found lots of grubs, then you may want to use a preventive insecticide for one or two years to build a more dense turf that will be tolerant of grubs. If you have treated for several years and you do not see evidence of grubs in your lawn or in the neighbors lawn, it may be time to stop treating. There is an erroneous philosophy being perpetuated that because we have European chafers and Japanese beetles in the area, it is necessary to treat every year or your lawn will be damaged by grubs. This is not true.
In addition, grub control products that contain the active ingredient chlorantraniliprole are safe for bees, even when weed flowers are sprayed. Finally, avoid spray drift or granular spreader drift to flower beds when applying thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, clothianidin or any insecticide for grubs other than chlorantraniliprole
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Grub Worm Type : Japanese Beetles
This lawn grub is a notorious pest in the Northeast, and their range has now expanded to include isolated populations across much of the continental United States and parts of Canada. Accidentally introduced to North America from Asia in the early 1900s, the 1/2 adult beetles are metallic green with copper-colored wing covers.
Unlike other types of pest grubs, the last abdominal segment of each Japanese beetle grub has a distinctive V-shaped row of tiny, dark hairs. The larvae grow up to 1-inch in length and spend the winter deep below the soil surface.
Adult Japanese beetles consume the foliage of over 300 different plants, beginning in mid-summer. Though they live for only 30-45 days, the adult beetles can cause a good bit of damage. Dont ignore newly emerged adult beetles. Early hand-picking goes a long way. Knock the adults into soapy water or squash them.
Our online course Organic Pest Control for the Vegetable Garden, provides even more information about managing pests like Japanese beetles in a series of videos that total 2 hours and 30 minutes of learning time.
Management And Control Practices
Cultural Control: Maintaining a healthy turf is important to culturally manage pest problems in any situation. This will involve proper soil preparation prior to turfgrass establishment, proper turfgrass selection for the site, proper installation, and using recommended management practices to assure a healthy lawn. However, grubs can damage the best-maintained turf.
Biological Control: There are several products available that fall into the category of biological control. These types of pesticides will reduce pest populations using other organic or biological processes. The most common and widely used biological control of grub worms is milky spore disease. Milky spore disease is a soil inhabiting bacterium that is ingested by the grub during normal feeding. The bacterium then kills the grub and upon desiccation, the grub will release more bacterial spores into the soil. Milky spore disease is nontoxic to non-target species in the lawn. As with all biological controls, efficacy can be highly variable depending on the site and the environmental conditions at that site.
Finally, there has been some research done on using the microbial biological control agent, Bacillus thuringiensis . Although there are several commercially available products of Bt for grub control, research has shown control to be marginal.
Table 1. Insecticides for Residential Lawn Grub Control.
| Brand & Product |
If this document didnt answer your questions, please contact HGIC at or 1-888-656-9988.
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How Do I Know If I Have A Problem
Affected areas will feel soft and spongy to walk on, and turf in these spots can be lifted up with ease. Carefully fold back the turf and note the number of grubs exposed. Eight to 10 grubs per square foot can damage a lawn.
Damage is most severe in the spring and fall when moisture levels in the soil are high. During drier periods, the eggs may be killed and surviving larvae can be found deeper in the soil. Extremely dry summers destroy many eggs and newly hatched grubs. Mature grubs can be found near the surface in late summer and early fall.
Often, skunks and other small mammals will pull back the turf to feed on grubs in the spring or fall. This secondary damage to your lawn, as well as flocks of starlings and blackbirds feeding on your lawn, are signs of a grub infestation. If you have any of these natural predators digging at your grass, check for white grubs. Many people notice these indicators first.
Will Controlling Grubs In My Lawn Help Control The Garden Beetles That Eat My Plants
Not necessarily, because the adult stage of grubs are flying beetles that can travel to your garden from outside your property. Learn more about these beetles.
Disclaimer: The use of specific brand or trade names in this article is for educational purposes only. The University of New Hampshire does not support the use of one product over others of similar composition, nor does it guarantee the efficacy or quality of any product. The user is responsible for applying pesticides only as directed on the label and in compliance with the law. Product availability is subject to change depending on registration status in the State of New Hampshire and other factors.
Got questions? The Ask UNH Extension Infoline offers practical help finding answers for your home, yard, and garden questions. Call toll free at 1-877-398-4769, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., or e-mail us at .
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Use Neem Oil To Eradicate Grubs From Lawns
Neem oil is a natural pesticide that stops lawn grubs from feeding and eventually kills them. A neem oil solution also prevents eggs from hatching and hinders larvae development. You can also use neem oil on foliage to stop Japanese beetles from destroying leaves.
A field study into the effectiveness of neem oil found it useful as a natural grub killer. Sprays containing neem oil were applied to turfgrass. The researchers found that the natural insecticide Azadriachtin in neem oil causes molting disorders and Japanese beetle larvae death in their early instars.
To use neem oil as a biological control for white lawn grubs, apply the solution in late summer or early fall while the grubs are immature.
To treat lawns for beetle grubs, mix 2 tablespoons of neem oil for every gallon of water. Use a watering can or hose spray applicator to water your lawn thoroughly. Ensure you cover the entire lawn to kill off all grubs. Use every seven days until you no longer have signs of lawn grubs.
Introduce Milky Spore Disease
Introducing milky spore disease in your lawn will help control the Japanese beetle larva and reduce their population naturally. The disease is applied on the turf as a dust and is very effective in controlling Japanese beetle grubs. As the grubs feed on the roots of the grass, they ingest the bacteria and get infected and die.
To get rid of white grubs in your lawn using milky spore bacteria, apply a tablespoon of the dust spacing four feet apart from each deposit. Do not use a spreader or a garden sprayer to spread. Water the treatment lightly for about 15 minutes.
Milky spore is a great natural treatment for grubs that last long usually providing grub control for even more than 15 years.
However, the results may not be immediate since it takes time for the disease to develop to full effectiveness in the turf. In cooler climates, youll start seeing results after a few seasons.
Once it takes effect, this grub worm fix is very effective and lasts very long, making it great for lawns with recurring instances of grub damage.
The disadvantage of using milky spore is that it only gets rid of Japanese beetle grub worms and not other species. If you have June bugs and May beetles, you might want to use other natural ways of removing them in your lawn.
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Introduce Natural Predators To Eat The Grubs
Grubs have plenty of natural predators. While predators like raccoons and moles will damage your yard, others wont.
Birds like chickadees, blue jays, and robins, for example, love grubs and will happily eat them all day long. Backyard chickens will also graze the yard and pick up grubs.
To use birds as a natural control method for grubs, make your yard as attractive as possible for the winged visitors.
Add bird feeders, birdbaths, and birdhouses around your yard. This will attract beneficial bird species and help keep your yards grub populations in check.
Pros: Easy, non-toxic, safe for households with kids and pets.
Cons: Birds may damage vegetable gardens or potted plants.
Does Dawn Dish Soap Kill Grubs
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You can control grubs using a commercial grub killer or a homemade recipe such as dawn dish soap. If the infestation is not extensive, you can use some simple natural treatments. But how effective is dawn dish soap for grub control?
Dawn dish soap kills grubs in the lawn by smothering and suffocating them. To get rid of grubs using dish soap, mix 3 tablespoons of soap with 1 gallon of water and spray it on the infested lawn. The soapy liquid will also interfere with the exoskeleton of adult beetles and kill them.
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Lawn Grubs: A Threat To Your Grass
What are Grub Worms
Lawn Grubs, often called White Grubs, are the immature form of different Scarab Beetles, such as Japanese Beetles, June “bugs” or the European Chafers. These white, C-shaped creatures have soft bodies with legs near the head. They feed on grass roots , causing sections of grass in the lawn to die. A white grub eventually turns into adult Beetles and emerge from soil to mate and lay eggs.
Most Scarab Beetles have a one-year life cycle June Beetles have a three-year cycle. Timing varies by Beetle species and region, but generally adults emerge from soil, mate, and lay eggs over the course of two to three weeks in early to midsummer.
Depending on soil moisture and temperature, eggs hatch about two weeks after being laid, in mid-to late summer. The new generation of root-munching pests begins feasting immediately after hatching. Peak feeding occurs in early fall. Typically, the pests operate a few inches below the soil surface, but burrow deeper before winter arrives.
Symptoms of Grub Feeding
As your lawn greens up in spring, keep an eye out for brown patches that never turn green. Those dead patches may be due to Grub feeding that occurred the previous fall.
What do grubs eat?
Irregularly-shaped dead patches appear in your well-irrigated lawn in late summer or early fall. Check your turf using the technique just mentioned.
Some Are Okay
Treatment: Timing Is Key
Helpful Tips to Prevent Grubs in Your Lawn
