To determine if its really a grub problem and not a lawn disease, remove a one-square-foot patch of the damaged lawn to a depth of about 2, as well as a few areas of the lawn that are green and healthy. If you only see a few grubs, it may not be necessary to treat, especially if the turf is healthy.
How do I know if I need Grub control?
If you think one area is the problem, simply dig up one square foot in that area and check for grubs. If it’s the fall, you should only have to dig up 1 to 3 inches to check. If you notice six or more grubs in that area then you likely have a problem and need to apply grub control. However, if you notice a smaller amount then you have two options.
How long does it take for Grub control to work?
Most grub control products will work for about four months, so if you’re applying it before that, you won’t see the results you’re looking for. Also, keep in mind that grubs don’t just lay their eggs for a week or two.
What does Grub control involve?
This includes removing the infested areas of turf, controlling the grubs that are present, installing new lawn and then the maintenance required by the addition of a new lawn. That’s a whole lot of financial and energetic investment that could have been avoided with the simple and affordable act of signing up for grub control.
How often should you apply Grub control?
How often you should apply grub control really depends on the area you live. You shouldn’t need to apply grub control more than once a year if you apply it at the right time. However, if you need to apply grub control every year depends on how prevalent grubs are in your area.
How long does it take for grub treatment to work?
It will take 10-14 days for the grubs to begin dying after the insecticide is applied.
How do you tell if grubs are dying?
When your lawn's grass starts turning brown, look around for signs that white grubs are the source of the problem.Watch your yard for crows, moles, raccoons and skunks. ... Look for dying or dead patches of grass in spring, late summer and fall.More items...
How long does it take for GrubEx to work?
When does GrubEx work? GrubEx begins working 60 to 90 days after being applied to the soil. Unlike Merit, which works almost immediately, it's important to distribute GrubEx from mid-April to early June. Doing so after this reduces the chance GrubEx controls grubs in your lawn.
How long does it take to get rid of grub worms?
one to three yearsAnswer 2: A naturally occurring pathogen, milky spore disease (Bacillus popilliae), affects beetle larvae and will kill grubs without harming you or your garden, but it can take one to three years to become fully effective.
Will grass grow back after grub damage?
Grub counts from six to 10 or more per square foot can damage and kill grass. Before you repair your lawn, treat any grub infestation using beneficial nematodes or pesticides allowed in your area. It is best to repair your grub-damaged lawn in the fall or early spring to restore it to its green glory.
Is it too late to treat for grubs?
By the time damage is apparent it is much too late for preventive white grub products such as Merit and Grub-X. These must be applied before mid-August. Insecticides must be watered in to be effective.
How do you repair lawn after grub damage?
If grubs have killed off most of your lawn, reseeding large sections is the best option.Remove all the dead grass with a garden rake. ... Rake the soil to loosen it, placing any grubs you find in soapy water.Add an inch of fresh topsoil.Choose a turf-building grass seed variety that grows well in your region.More items...
What is the best month to put down GrubEx?
It's important to follow the instructions on the GrubEx packaging very closely because precision in both timing and application are essential. Early May, June and July is the best time to apply this product. Remember the beetles lay eggs in early summer. The small grubs hatch in the middle of the summer.
Should I apply GrubEx before rain?
Should I Apply GrubEX Before Rain? Applying GrubEX before heavy rain is the only way to skip the watering step altogether. After it rains, make sure that you don't see any remaining granules poking up through the grass or sitting on top of it.
How do you get rid of grub infestation?
How to Get Rid of Grubs in Your Yard Naturally: 7 Treatment OptionsIntroduce natural predators to eat the grubs. Grubs have plenty of natural predators. ... Limit moisture. ... Use milky spore. ... Use neem oil or Azadirachtin. ... Introduce beneficial nematodes. ... Make a grub killer with borax. ... Dethatch and aerate your lawn. ... Carbaryl.More items...•
What does grub worm infestation look like?
Symptoms of an infestation include general thinning or yellowing of turf, which is very similar to other pest infestations like chinch bugs, for example, drought or nematodes. One way to determine a grub worm infestation is to step on the turf in the spring and see if it feels spongey or bouncy.
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.
What are the white grubs in my lawn?
Another sign of the presence of white grubs in your soil is an increase in activity of raccoons, moles, and birds digging in your turf, and even certain wasps flying low to the ground in your lawn.
Why is my lawn brown?
Irregular patches of brown grass will appear in random places in your lawn. Grass will feel very spongy and will pull up very easily. Since the roots are damaged, the turf will often roll up like carpet. Grass will be very vulnerable to drought and other stressors.
Can white grub damage your lawn?
It can be difficult to diagnose white grub damage since it can often appear as other lawn issues. However, there are some definite hallmarks of white grub activity. Being able to recognize symptoms of white grub damage and thoroughly inspecting your lawn will be vital to your white grub control efforts. Step1.
What is a grub?
So, what’s a grub? It’s the white, C-shaped larvae of European chafers, Japanese beetles, June beetles, as well as other beetles, and is about three-quarters-of-an-inch long. Grubs lay their eggs in soil under turf, where there’s an ample supply of organic matter in the soil to eat, including grass roots.
When should I treat my lawn for grubs?
If you identified grubs the previous fall or spring, you may want to treat your lawn in spring with a preventive insecticide for a year or two. Even if you treated to kill the grubs last season, it won’t prevent the next generation of grubs from hatching and munching on your lawn’s roots.
What to do if your lawn has brown spots?
After you identify that grubs are the culprits causing brown patches in your lawn, choose either a preventive or curative insecticide for treatment, depending on the grubs’ lifecycle. If your lawn is healthy and there are only a small number of grubs, you may not need to treat at all.
How deep should I remove grubs from my lawn?
To determine if it’s really a grub problem and not a lawn disease, remove a one-square-foot patch of the damaged lawn to a depth of about 2”, as well as a few areas of the lawn that are green and healthy. If you only see a few grubs, it may not be necessary to treat, especially if the turf is healthy. If you find six or more in a square foot, it’s ...
Why is my lawn brown?
There are several indications that the brown patch in your lawn is caused by grubs: grub-loving birds and animals , including raccoons, skunks, and moles, are digging up your lawn; and, areas of the lawn feel squishy, like freshly laid sod, caused by grubs are eating away at the roots. To determine if it’s really a grub problem ...
How much water should I use for grub spray?
For best results, thoroughly water-in all products immediately after application with at least a half-inch of water. This gets the product into the soil where grubs are feeding and removes the product from grass blades, making the lawn safe for kids, pets, and wildlife after it dries.
When do grubs migrate?
Understanding their lifecycle will help you identify the best time for treatment and what product to use. Spring: As the weather warms, grubs migrate upward where they transform into adult beetles. Summer: Beetles emerge in early-summer and eat plants throughout the garden.
When will grub control be available in stores?
Below is a short list of products now being sold for grub control as of May 22, 2020, in stores checked in the Mid-Michigan area. An online search indicates there are other products that will be available at other stores. Check the active ingredients.
How to prevent grubs from destroying my lawn?
Proper fertilization is important to prevent and allow the lawn to recover from grub damage. Mow lawns immediately before applying an insecticide for grubs to remove weed flowers and protect bees. Make a regular practice of mowing your yard with the mower on the highest setting (3.5-4 inches).
What insecticides kill grubs?
There are two chemicals, carbaryl and trichlorfon, that are considered curative treatments. They are short-lived compounds that kill all life stages of grubs. These two insecticides are the only options if high numbers of grubs are found in the fall and in spring before early May. Our research indicates they will kill 20-80% of grubs when applied in September or 20-55% when applied in late October. They are not as effective as the preventive compounds in reducing grub numbers.
When do grubs appear in lawns?
Grub damage may appear in home lawns from mid-September to November or from March to early May. However, for low-maintenance lawns, even if the turf is not killed from grub feeding, the thinned and weakened turf may be prone to weeds and drought stress. Healthy turf with a few grubs may not need an insecticide.
When to apply chlorantraniliprole?
The preventive compound chlorantraniliprole should ideally be applied in April or May to control grubs that would be damaging turf in the fall as it will take longer for the material to move to where the grubs will be feeding in July. To kill grubs in the spring or fall, use carbaryl or trichlorfon.
How long does a turf outbreak last?
The outbreak phase where turf damage is common may last five to 10 years. If you see a dead patch, use a shovel to dig up a few Frisbee-size samples of turf around the bare spot to a depth of 2 inches and look for 0.75-inch long, C-shaped white grubs.
Does chlorantraniloprole help grubs?
Products containing imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, clothianidin or chlorantraniloprole will not control grubs in the spring. They are preventive products that work very well on newly hatched grubs present in July, but do not work well for large grubs found from September to May.
Signs of Grub Problems
Because grubs typically live underground, it can be a bit challenging to figure out if you have any in your lawn, but challenging doesn’t mean impossible. Below we’ve highlighted a few signs that you might have a grub infestation on your hands.
How To Check for Grubs
Since grubs live underground, there’s really only one good way to check for them – start digging. We completely understand that you don’t want to tear up your entire lawn though, and that’s why we recommend only checking a single square foot of your yard.
Tips for Selecting Grub Control
If you’ve found grubs in your lawn, you need to get the right product to kill them or keep them from coming back. We’re not going to highlight any individual product here, instead we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get what you need.
Final Thoughts
White grubs can be one of the most annoying and destructive lawn pests, if you stay committed and use the right products, there’s no reason you can’t get them under control in just one season.
How to tell if you have grubs in your lawn?
The most obvious sign of grub damage is the appearance of irregularly shaped brown spots in your lawn. There are, however, a few lawn diseases that can also cause brown spots. To make sure you're truly dealing with grubs, use a spade to lift a piece of turf about the size of a Frisbee in the affected areas. You'll want to dig about 2 inches deep and then examine the soil. If you see white worms that are about 1 to 1 1/2 inches long, congratulations — you have grubs.
How high should I mow my lawn to get rid of grubs?
A healthy yard has a much better chance of recovering from a lawn grub issue than an unhealthy one. Keep your lawn mowed to a height of about 4 inches and fertilize it regularly to promote strong, healthy roots.
When do grubs start?
The grubs get their start when the adult beetles lay eggs in your turf, usually in spring. After the eggs hatch, the grubs evolve in three stages, with grub damage greatest in late summer, when you will see areas of your lawn thinning and yellowing. Later, irregular brown patches appear in your turf.
What is the best way to kill grubs?
The most common (and, sadly, most effective) ways to kill grubs are chemical insecticides. Effective insecticide control products against grubs include imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and clothianidin. However, they only work if used in the lawn in June and July. If you wait until August when the brown patches appear, it’s too late.
What is the life cycle of a lawn grub?
While there are variations depending on which species of beetle they come from, the larvae tend to be stout, white-to-grayish with brown heads, about 3/4 of an inch to 2 inches in length. These lawn pests tend to curl up in a “C” shape at rest.
Can you use weed flower heads on lawn before applying?
One way to mitigate the damage: Mow your lawn just before applying so there are no weed flower heads to attract the pollinators to your temporarily poisoned yard.
Is carbaryl a curative?
The chemicals carbaryl and trichlorfon that are considered curative treatments — they are short-lived products effective immediately. Always follow label directions carefully when using any chemical pesticide. Any use poses a risk of harm to not just people, but other insects, including lawn-beneficial pollinators.
Do grubs live in lawns?
But, before dismissing them as nothing but gross menaces, grubs — the larval stage of certain adult beetles — are common in lawns and do play a role in the natural order of things (well, at least in the right numbers). David Shetlar is a professor emeritus with a doctoral degree in entomology at The Ohio State University.
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.
How Do You Know Grubs Are Causing Damage To Your Lawn
There are several indications that the brown patch in your lawn is caused by grubs:
How To Control Lawn Grubs
A few grubs aren’t a problem, but if you see lots of them when you turn the soil, take action.
How Natural Predators Kill Lawn Grubs
Biological predators, like birds, raccoons, moles and more, are an option when it comes to grub control for lawns. You can choose to leave your soil exposed to welcome animals to devour the pests. For example, you can use bird feeders to attract birds to your yard to feast on the grubs.
How To Tell If Grubs Are Killing Your Grass
A healthy, well-kept lawn has an abundance of lush, green grass that feels as soft as a plush carpet. If the grass in your lawn starts dying with no obvious cause, you may have a white grub infestation. White grubs feed just below the surface of the soil, and a close look reveals them devouring grass roots.
Does Your Grass Have Severe Damage Such As Full
Again, grubs feed on the root systems and destabilize the connection between the grass and the roots. So what happens when a grub infestation gets to the worst-case level?
Fixing Grubworm Lawn Damage
Dead patches make the lawn look ugly, but theres something you can do to fix them and restore your lawn to a lush green look. Grubs kill grass because they feed on the roots. If the damage is extensive, it may be difficult to attempt reviving the grass successfully.
How does grub control work?
This includes removing the infested areas of turf, controlling the grubs that are present, installing new lawn and then the maintenance required by the addition of a new lawn.
How often should I take grub control?
Grub control measures need to be taken on annual basis to work consistently. Skipping a year may be fine, but if any beetles have laid their eggs in your lawn’s soil over the course of that last year, you can be looking at a seriously damaged lawn by mid-fall.
How long does a grub lawn last?
However, their lifecycles can range anywhere from one to three years, so you can see damage during other warm parts of the year as well. Grub lawn damage looks like big, irregular dead patches and once those appear, there is nothing you can do but cut out sections of your turf and lay new sod down.
What is a grub in lawn?
Grubs, white grubs or lawn grubs are all names for the larval form of the beautiful scarab beetle species. While the adults are gorgeous, their immature grub forms are ugly and downright dangerous for your lawn. These caterpillar-like forms are white with brown heads and they often curl up like a “C” when disturbed.
Is grub prevention more expensive than grub control?
You may need it, you may not. Here’s what we do know – grub prevention is significantly less expensive than grub control or repair should your property wind up with a grub outbreak.
How to tell if a grub is in your lawn?
Instead, the best ways to identify the presence of grubs is through the damage they cause to your lawn.
When do grubs feed?
The grubs feed all throughout the fall. If you don’t catch them when they start doing damage, you may end up having dead patches until next season. With this in mind, it’s better to inspect your lawn or call a professional earlier rather than later if you think you might have a grub problem. If you are still unsure if you’re dealing ...
What is a grub in a lawn?
First things first, grubs are the larvae - aka the immature form - of different species of beetles. Typically the classic lawn grub (white 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.
What animals eat grubs?
With how rapidly grubs can spread, this can become an issue - fast. The presence of grubs can also bring along other problems. Birds, raccoons, and moles are just a few animals that are attracted to grubs because they eat them.
When do grubs lay eggs?
Often times, grubs will have become a problem before you even spot them. Their eggs are typically laid late summer, and after hatching, they begin feasting. The grubs feed all throughout the fall.
Can you use curative products on a lawn?
By using curative products, you will kill the grubs that are already existing on contact. On the other hand, using preventative products will kill grubs not only already existing but also the ones that may hatch in the future. This being said, preventative products may be the better option for the long-term health of your lawn.
Can grubs dig up my lawn?
Grubs can dig up your lawn and leave it in shambles. If you’ve woken up to a destroyed lawn, you might be up against grubs. Many times, people don’t realize the having a grub problem which results in more destruction occurring.
