How to Control Grubs in the Lawn From PSU
Your garden flowers are blooming great, but your lawn looks as if it is losing its turf faster than your husband is losing his hair. The culprit might only be a few inches underneath your brown lawn, in the form of grubs. Pennsylvania is particularly susceptible to grub infestations because of the variety of scarab beetles that live there, which is why the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) entomology department, as well as other bug experts, have come up with solutions to treat these pests. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Camer
- Water (for chafer beetle grubs)
- Chemical pesticides containing carbaryl or trichlorfon
- Milky Spore
- Diatomaceous earth
- Turf fertilizer
- Slow-release pesticides containing imidacloprid or halofenozide
Instructions
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Determine what type of grub infestation you have. The best way to do determine what you are dealing with is to take a picture of the grub, and bring it to a greenhouse or entomologist. You can even research the grub on-line and cross-reference your picture with pictures of other grubs.
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Treat your lawn with water or remove moisture in your lawn, depending on the grub species. If you have Japanese beetle grubs, they are more comfortable in moist soil. The PSU entomology departments recommends you allow your lawn to dry out a little before treating your lawn, as this will kill many of the grubs. However, if you have a chafer beetle problem, then watering your lawn is in order, as chafer beetles like dry soil.
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Apply pesticides to your lawn. The window of opportunity to kill grubs is fairly short. Your first opportunity is between March and May, and your second opportunity is between September and October. Carbaryl and trichlorfon are two chemical ingredients that can rid your lawn of these hungry pests in a matter of days.
The PSU entomology department recommends milky spore as a natural solution to grub problems. Milky spore is a harmless bacteria to humans and animals, but it is deadly to some bugs, especially beetle larvae. Though it works by eating the grubs from the inside out, it is a product which works over time, not immediately.
Another natural solution is to use diatomaceous earth. This inorganic pesticide will kill most bugs without harming animals, plants or children. It is made by grinding up fossilized water plants. Its razor-sharp, yet microscopic edges cut up insects when they walk through the dust. Mix it into the top layer of dirt surrounding the bare spots in your lawn for a quick solution.
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Use preventative maintenance to control grubs year round. Chemicals containing imidacloprid or halofenozide work the best at killing eggs that eventually become grubs. These chemicals should be applied in early July. According to Smitely, if you apply preventative chemicals in June or July and water the ground, then you have a 90 to 100 percent chance of total grub control.
There are some non-chemical actions you can take, like sowing organic fertilizers into your lawn, which allow your turf to grow strong, healthy roots, thus making it more difficult for the grubs to destroy your lawn. Watering your lawn regularly will keep European chafer grubs from latching onto dry soil. Leaving your lawn at a height of 3 ½ to 4 inches will also promote healthy turf.
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References
- Photo Credit Japanese Beetle image by Jim Mills from Fotolia.com
