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HOW TO MANAGE A DESTRUCTIVE GRUB INVASION
Lawn grubs, often referred to as white grubs are the soil-inhabiting, larva of beetles including: Japanese beetles or European chafers or June “bugs” beetles. These immature organisms feed on grass roots as well as other organic substance in soil, causing turf to die.
SIGNS YOUR LAWN IS INFECTED
Keep a lookout for some early symptoms that your lawn is grub infected. A few signs to look for include:
- Gradual thinning and yellowing/browning of the grass.
- Irregularly shaped dead patches that develop in well-irrigated lawns during the summer or early fall.
- Sponginess of turf can be a first clue that grubs are infesting your lawn, can sometimes be noticed before yellow-brown patches appear.
- Increased presence of skunks, moles, raccoons and flocks of blackbirds can indicate grub infestation since they feed on grubs. (These varmints eat earthworms as well so be sure to perform a grub tests or get sampling to make sure grubs are present prior to pursuing any management method.)
- TIP: If you experienced grub problems in previous years, it’s likely adult beetles will return and re-infest the same areas. If you are noticing large beetle activity in the months of June and July, it’s probable you will experience grubs later that summer.
HOW TO TEST AND/OR SAMPLE FOR GRUBS
You can test for grubs by lifting up a piece of turf and examining if it has little to no roots. If you have sod, a heavily infested area will pull loose from the ground as if you were lifting up carpet.
For sampling, one should take samples from multiple spots by cutting away one square-foot piece of turf and inspecting the roots for grubs every 2 inches. Sampling should be done during early infestation states (mid-July to mid-August). The challenge with sampling during the early stages is grubs will be small and difficult to find since significant damage has not occurred yet. It is common to have some grubs within lawns but if an average of eight or more grubs per sample appears, it’s an indication of an infestation.
GRUB TREATMENT OPTIONS
There are two strategies for controlling grubs: Curative and Preventive. TIMING IS KEY for each of these methods! Knowing scarab beetles life cycles will help you identify the best treatment method.
Preventive (Pre-Emergent):
This can be applied before a grub problem develops. Timing is more lenient for application; it can be applied as early as May to mid-July. Be sure to read instructions on the back of the insecticide you purchased for more information about application and timing.
Curative (Post-Emergent):
Immature grubs are vulnerable to insecticides; apply treatment when grubs are feeding in mid-to late summer and early fall. This treatment should be applied when a grub problem is currently present. Be sure to read instructions on the back of the insecticide you purchased for more information about application and timing.
For professional fertilizers, humic and AMP-XC™ enriched products available, please visit TurfCare’s online Product Catalog.
For green industry professionals or others interested in ordering Turfcare products, please contact our Customer Service to find a distributor near you.
References:
https://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/dealing-with-lawn-grubs
https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ent10
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