Prevention Is The Best Solution
Grubs will often target the healthiest looking lawn on the street as their next tasty meal. When lawns get attacked by grubs, they often will have already created extensive damage. Following an attack, the lawn can take a few weeks or a few months to fully repair itself. Instead of going through the long process of nursing your lawn back to health, prevention is a far better solution.
Simple Grub Control Options
- Birds: Do what you can to attract birds to your yard using bird feeders, bird baths and nesting homes. Birds eat bugs including grubs.
- Beer: Another lawn control option that is said to work is to set a beer trap. Use an old plastic bowl approximately three inches deep by six inches in diameter. Dig a hold so the bowl fits to where the top lip of the container is at ground level. Pour beer in the bowl.
Take Care Of Your Lawn
If you already have a grub infestation, take steps to deal with it. If you have a normal number of grubs and want to avoid an infestation, take proper care of your lawn and keep it healthy .
I always say the best defense against weeds, insects, and other lawn pests is a good offense.
If your lawn is thick, resilient and healthy, it will be less attractive to beetles and bugs trying to find some open soil to lay their eggs on/in.
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How To Get Rid Of Garden Grubs Naturally
You could try natural treatments to deter garden grubs, for instance, nematodes.
These are tiny worms that live in the soil and kill all species of grubs. They are a live product and act as a natural predator of grubs.
Encouraging birds into your garden is a way of introducing a control on the adult beetles when they emerge to mate, but even the grubs in the soil are a good food source for birds.
Making your own natural pest deterrent is also an option. For instance, a mixture of vinegar, sugar, soap, and water sprayed onto the affected area can help deter and even kill grubs.
Another great product is neem oil treat the garden and lawn to a spray made of 2 tablespoons of neem oil and 2 teaspoons of liquid soap to make a gallon of natural grub repellent.
I prefer to use this organic neem oil, but really any type will do.
Enlist The Help Of A Lawn Pro
Professional help is what we always recommend for grub control. Using preventative measures like pesticides on your own can be dangerous because you may not know the best ways to apply the treatments. Additionally, it can be very frustrating if you dont have the necessary tools or knowledge. You could end up battling the same issue year after year not knowing how to stop it. With decades of experience treating grubs in the local area, Tailor Made Lawns can make sure your lawn is treated efficiently and left healthier than before.
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Short Grass = Short Roots
The roots of your grass will be about as long as the blades are allowed to grow. For example, if you cut your grass down to 2 inches every week, youre likely to have roots of only 2 inches or less. If you allow your grass to grow up to 4 inches before cutting it down to 3 every few weeks, youre likely to have roots of 4 inches in length.
Simply put, deeper roots mean that the grass is less damaged by grubs. But if you have shallow grass roots, it makes it easier for the grubs to live in the top 2 to 3 inches of soil, their preferred zone.
Why Does My Lawn Have Grubs But Not My Neighbor
Keep in mind the adult stage of the grub life cycle is a beetle, which can fly. Random chance is part of the answer. But adult beetles usually lay eggs in full-sun lawn areas with adequate soil moisture. The masked chafer and Japanese beetle lay eggs in July. So if the weather has been dry but your lawn is watered and surrounded by dry lawns, it is a prime target for egg laying.
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When Should I Be Worried About Grubs
If you start to see thinning lawn and brown patches appearing or your plants start dying without any other factors affecting them, then its advised to do a grub check.
Start by lifting a square of lawn if you find a small number of grubs under it in the soil, you do not have a problem, but if there is a large number of grubs in the soil, it is time to take action.
How To Get Rid Of Grubs In Lawn
Lawn grubs are common garden pests that live in your soil, eat grass roots, and eventually turn your yard brown. They often attract other unwelcome animals that come to feed on them as they dig up grass patches in the process. The key to combating lawn grubs is in prevention and early detection. Read on to learn more about grubs and grub control in order to avoid the massive lawn damage they inflict.
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What Do Grubs Look Like
You likely wont see grubs unless you go digging since they live beneath the surface. They are the larvae of Japanese beetles and are white in color with brown heads. Up to one inch in length, they look a bit like caterpillars. Their parents, the adult beetles, deposit their eggs beneath the surface of the soil so when they hatch and turn into grubs, they can use the roots of your turfgrass as food. When these grubs reach adulthood, they no longer look like caterpillars and instead look like beetles with metallic green heads and bodies. The adult beetles will dine on the grass above the surface while their larvae destroy it from below, which is why being proactive and calling your pest control service is so important.
Grubs and their adult parents create a two-front battleground for your grass, and if you dont do something about it, you could have extensive lawn damage. Unfortunately, many homeowners dont realize that the garden-variety beetles they see are actually producing the dreaded lawn grubs. Our experts will help you identify if youve got a grub problem on your hands.
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Encourage More Birds In Your Lawn
You might have noticed small brown birds feeding in your lawn and backyard if you have grubs in your lawn. This bird is called the House Wren.
Since these birds feed on the white grubs and other lawn insects, I would recommend encouraging them near your lawn or backyard. You can do this by providing bird houses for house wrens around your lawn.
Soon enough youll start seeing house wrens flying about your yard with white grub worms in their beaks. Their increased feeding activity will reduce the population of grubs in highly infested lawns.
However, this method may also cause damage since birds also start digging up the lawn to find the food. The birds may also not be able to stop large infestations of grubs.
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Dethatch And Aerate Your Lawn
Dethatching and aeration make your lawn less attractive for grubs. Because thatch and dense, compacted soil provide a thick layer of shelter for grubs, removing thatch and aerating the lawn creates a less welcoming environment for the pests.
Additionally, these methods make it easier for milky spore disease, nematodes, and other natural solutions to penetrate the surface of the lawn and reach the grubskilling them faster and more efficiently.
Pros: Safe, effective, good for the lawn.
Cons: Labor-intensive. Does not kill grubs.
How Can I Predict If My Lawn Will Have Grub Damage This Year
The masked chafer is the adult beetle which lays eggs becoming the annual white grub in lawns.
It is difficult, as insects can go in cycles and many factors influence the chances of grubs appearing in your lawn. Lots of adult beetles on the lawn in July is one indication. Masked chafers, the adult of the annual white grub, are tan beetles active shortly after sundown. Japanese beetles fly during the day and feed heavily on many ornamentals. Noting these adults and then having irrigated lawns surrounded by drier turf increases the chances of grub damage to your lawn. Watch lawns closely starting about mid-August and continuing into September for wilting and browning areas, and then check the root zone for grubs.
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When To Apply A Lawn Grub Treatment
Grubs are larger and no longer feeding in the spring, therefore they are less susceptible to treatment. In addition, spring rains can easily wash away a treatment.
Midsummer to early fall is the best time to treat lawn grubs because at this point, grubs are small, immature and closer to the surface.
Chafer Grub Lawn Damage
Chafer grubs are the larval forms of Chafer Beetle. A severe infestation of these larvae causes brown patches in the lawn.
Chafer grubs devour the roots of the grass and could go unnoticed for months. They are only outed by critters when they dig out the lawn.
The aforementioned methods work well to eliminate chafer grubs but the most efficient way to get rid of them is by using Provado.
Provado Lawn Grub killer
Provado lawn grub killer can eliminate Chafer grubs and Leatherjacket larvae efficiently. Imidacloprid thats present in the insecticide is the miracle behind such efficiency.
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Why Are Grub Worms Taking Over My Yard
Related Articles
Grub worms, also known as lawn grubs, white grubs or masked chafers, are the bane of many a homeowner, particularly when they discover the grubs are secretly destroying their lawn behind the scenes. What appear to be small white worms are really hungry beetle larvae that are eager to feast and feed on the roots of turf grass, reveals the Missouri Botanical Garden. Certain lawn conditions promote the infestation of grubs and make it easy for them to continue their reign of terror.
Tip
There are several reasons grub worms may be taking over your yard. You may have a susceptible grass or you may be entering the season when grubs are the most active.
What Is The Best Time To Treat For Grubs
Treating in late summer or early fall is ideal, as that is when the smaller, young grubs are most susceptible to nematodes. There is also usually a short window for application in early spring before the grubs get too big and pupate, but that is a narrower window and can be difficult to time properly.
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What Exactly Is A Grub
First things first, grubs are the larvae – aka the immature form – of different species of beetles. Typically the classic lawn grub is white, C-shaped, and about half an inch long. Grubs feed on the roots of your soil, which can cause patches of your lawn to die. Because grubs burrow deep into your lawn, you don’t often see them with your own eyes unless you dig into your grass. Instead, the best ways to identify the presence of grubs is through the damage they cause to your lawn.
Seasons With The Most Activity
Grub worms may be taking over your lawn partly due to the season as well. Late summer and early fall are the times when most homeowners notice that grubs have done significant damage to their lawns. Grub damage may initially be mistaken for drought damage. When additional watering fails to remedy the problem, homeowners dig deeper, only to find that grubs were the problem all along.
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Are Animals Hanging Out And Feeding In Your Grass
Have you noticed an increase in animal activity in your yard? This could be a sign that animals are attracted to a grub population growing in your yard. Animals such as raccoons, birds, skunks, and armadillos may be spending extra time in your yard to feed on grub worms.
Not only is this a problem because it may indicate a grub issue, but these visiting animals will cause problems of their own. Your turf may take a hard hit as these animals dig and toss dirt to hunt for grubs. You may even notice molehills or tunnels.
Keep an eye on the activity going on in your yard. If these animals and grubs are giving you trouble, it may be time to call a lawn care and pest control company.
What Should You Do After Grub Control Pesticide Application
Once you have put down grub control pesticide on your grass, there are some other things you should do.
These include immediate wearing and then keeping an eye on the area, to make sure there isnt any grub activity.
You should apply water to your lawn right after applying grub control. This is especially important if you are using a granular type of grub preventer or grub killer.
If you are using a granular formula, apply a minimum of an inch of water. If you dont do this, a granular formulation wont be effective.
Remember to keep an eye on your lawn after, to make sure the grub control is working. You might still see some grubs right after, as some products will take as long as a week to work.
If you still see a problem after that, the treatment wasnt effective. You possibly didnt use the correct amount, or you need to try something else.
You can calculate your lawns square footage right here to be sure you apply the perfect amount of product to the impacted area of your yard.
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How To Spot Grub Damage
A common tell-tale sign that you have grubs in your lawn is an increase in birds looking for a meal in your yard. Not only do grubs ruin your lawn themselves, but animals looking to eat grubs do damage as well. Raccoons, opossums, skunks, and moles all feast on grubs while digging up your yard.
Seeing yellow or brown dead spots is also a sign that grubs are eating your lawn. The grubs move around once theyve eaten an entire area so youll see continuous spots popping up around where these things travel.
Will Grass Grow Back After Grub Damage
If you have patches of dead grass that show up in the fall or spring, they are likely caused by grubs. Grub counts from six to 10 or more per square foot can damage and kill grass. … It is best to repair your grub-damaged lawn in the fall or early spring to restore it to its green glory. Remove dead grass with a rake.
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What Causes Grubs In Your Lawn
Grubs are unavoidable if you have any sort of lawn or pasture. The problem is that they can cause or attract things that result in massive damage if their numbers get too high. Whether you have a grub infestation, just learned the signs of a lawn grub infestation, or you want to know what you can do to avoid every lawn problem possible, the following information can help you defend your lawn from an abundance of grubs.
Let Your Grass Grow Longer
Longer grass means longer grass roots and longer roots mean less damage and greater difficulty in moving around for grubs. The more gaps there are, the more likely a beetle is to lay eggs in the area. If there are no gaps and the roots of your grass are strong, its unlikely you will notice any grub damage.
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When Is The Best Time To Treat For Grubs
There are two times to treat for grubs. There is usually a short window in early spring before the grubs get too big and pupate, but it is a narrow window and can be difficult to time properly. The best time to treat is at the end of July to the beginning of August. This is the time of year that the grubs emerge from their eggs and burrow up into the top layer of soil where they eat the roots of the grass. They are easiest to kill in this early stage of development because they are young and near the top of the soil. If you wait too long, in early fall they burrow four to eight inches into the soil to get away from the cold and the treatment cant reach them. They will return older and hardier in the spring and will cause more damage then. You want to get your grub treatment down by the end of July or early August to be the most effective.
Treatments For Grub Infestations
Being timely with your grub treatment is very important. If you catch them before they create a lot of visible damage, itll be easier to get rid of them and keep your lawn healthy. Once you determine whether or not your yard needs treatment, there are a few things you can do. Here are a few options:
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What Causes Grubs In Lawn
Grubs thrive in a lawn thats devoid of beneficial nematodes. Artificial fertilizers kill beneficial nematodes. Grubs are also attracted to wet lawns in the summer.
Grubs are not only ugly, but they also cause great damage to a lawn. You need to get rid of them as soon as you notice the early signs.
How do you identify grub presence in your lawn early? How to get rid of grubs naturally? Are there any pet-safe ways to achieve this?
I try to answer all such questions in this article. So, be with me till the end, and hopefully, you get what you came for.
