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Do I Need Grub Worm Control?
While grub worms can be found in most yards, it is simply how heavy the population is that determines future damage. Unfortunately the grubs are not visible as they feed below the soil surface on the roots and stems of your healthy grass. We feel it is best to apply a preventative treatment annually, especially if you’ve experienced past problems. This should be applied beginning the end of May, but no later than early July.
White grubs are the larvae of many adult insects, including the Japanese beetle, May or June beetle, and the masked chafer beetle. They have translucent or white bodies and brown heads. Characteristically they are “c” shaped, about an inch to inch and a half long when fully grown. While these beetles have different life cycles of one to three years there are some similarities. Adult female beetles lay eggs in the soil in early summer, the larvae hatch from eggs in mid-summer and move near the soil surface where they feed on roots well into the fall causing damage. A few grubs in a lawn may not cause significant damage, but large numbers of grubs can kill the turf grass (7-10 per square foot). The May/ June beetle with its three year life cycle will burrow deep into the soil for the winter as the weather cools. The second year as they mature to full size is when they do their most damage as they feed on desirable plant roots. Again in fall they find their way deep into the soil and the following spring emerge as an adult beetle and begin the life cycle once again.
Grub Damage
In severe cases grubs can kill large areas of lawns. The entire root system is destroyed and the turf can be peeled back like a piece of sod. If you begin to see dead areas in late summer to fall, survey the areas near the edge of the brown or dead grass. If grubs are still active and present you will find them moving towards the outside area where the grass is still alive.
Control
Various treatments can be applied to control grubs, but since grubs live in the soil, under the thatch layer any material must be watered deep into the lawn to be effective. |