![]() Use Natural Lawn Fertilizer to Prevent Grubs The darker environment near the soil level seems inhospitable for beetles-so they’ll look elsewhere to lay their eggs. Ideally, keep grass 3” or 4” (7.6 – 10 cm) long to avoid getting beetle eggs in the ground. ![]() Mowing your grass less often helps prevent scarab beetles from laying their eggs in grass soil. Let Grass Grow Longer for Grub Prevention Here are some ways to stop white grubs from multiplying and damaging lawns and gardens. Lawn grub prevention is crucial to prevent these insects from becoming a nuisance. Grub prevention can be done with soil tilling, natural lawn fertilizer and mowing grass less often So, it’s best to confirm if you’ve got a problem with scarab beetle larvae before treating them. Of course, the critters could be after worms or beneficial grubs. Moles, skunks, raccoons, and other four-legged pests tear up lawns to find food. Noticing increased animal activity on a patchy lawn could also mean you’ve got grubs in the soil. You’ll also notice that the lawn peels away easily if grubs have destroyed its roots. Because grubs destroy lawn grass roots, the soil of infested lawn patches loses its firmness. Patches of lawn that feel spongy to walk on could also indicate grubs in the garden. Beneficial nematodes are tiny parasitic worms that kill the lawn-destroying grubs. However, excessive amounts of fertilizers can make the grub problem worse.Ī study checked the effects of nitrogen fertilizer (NF) on soil nematode community and found that the NF treatment resulted in a significant decrease of predatory nematodes. Some gardeners think that these dead grass patches are due to fertilization issues and add more lawn fertilizer. As the grubs eat turfgrass roots, the grass above the soil’s surface dies and doesn’t grow back. Even if you have between six and nine grass grubs per square foot (0.1 m²), you may see damage from animals digging to look for grubs.īare patches on lawns are the most common sign of a grub infestation. Signs of grub damage in lawns usually happen if there are more than ten grubs per square foot (0.1 m²). But the best way to tell if you’ve got a grub problem is to dig up a patch of lawn to see if C-shaped worm-like white bugs are wriggling in the soil. The most common way to know if you have lawn grubs is by bare patches of soil appearing on your lawn. Grub damage to lawn looks like irregular patches of dead grass or bare soil How to Tell If You Have Lawn Grubs (Sign of Grub Damage) For example, raccoons, skunks, and a flock of birds can dig up the soil around your plants looking for some ‘grubs.’ Not only does this animal activity spoil your garden’s appearance, but the pests can also damage plants and crops. A grub infestation attracts birds and animals that can ruin your garden. White garden grubs also cause secondary damage. Large grub populations also cause larger, mature plants to wilt and even die. You may notice that grub damage stunts the growth of smaller plants or even kills them. As they gorge on shrub, vegetable, and flower roots, they destroy the plant’s nutrient source. Grub Worm Damageīeetle grubs can do damage to vegetables, fruits, and shrubs if they live in garden soil. The grub worms also quickly destroy seedlings and young plants by eating their roots. In soil, beetle grubs chew through any type of plant’s roots. The hungry beetle larvae in lawns eat grass roots, destroying the look of your turfgrass. Lawn grubs eat almost anything in the soil. You may only see signs of grass worm activity if there is a large number of the lawn ‘bugs.’ So, knowing the lawn grub life cycle is key to killing the grubs in the soil before they do any damage. Because they spend most of their life in the soil, they are difficult to detect. In spring, the white grubs resume feeding on roots before becoming pupae and emerging as adult beetles. The hungry grubs munch through turfgrass roots and then bury deeper into the ground over winter. Larvae hatch from beetle eggs in mid to late summer. The life cycle of lawn grubs is one to three years, depending on the species. The scarab beetles scurry around gardens, eating plant leaves, flowers, and fruits. Scarab beetles can also damage plants, but the grubs cause the most damage to lawns.Īfter the white subterranean grubs become beetles, they emerge from the soil to continue their lifecycle. These are the Japanese beetle ( Popillia japonica), June beetles ( Phyllophaga), and the European chafer ( Amphimallon majale). Generally, the larvae from three types of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae (scarab beetles) are the grubs that cause the most damage to lawns. The larvae of scarab beetles such as the Japanese beetle (left) and June beetles (right) cause the most damage ![]()
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