Everything You Need to Know About Grub Control

Lawn grubs are known by many names: Japanese beetles, June beetles, chafers, and more. These white C-shaped larvae live under the soil, eating organic matter and grassroots. During the summer months, they develop into beetles that you find around your lawn, trees, and garden. These beetles then reproduce and lay eggs back in the soil. As fall arrives, new egg larvae hatch and begin to eat the organic soil material — restarting the grub cycle. 

Early summer is a great time to address grub prevention in order to avoid dead patches later in the summer and fall. It is important to take care of grubs early on as they continue to eat and grow until mid-fall when they move deeper into the soil in order to survive through the winter. 

Signs of Lawn Grubs 

The best treatment for lawn grubs is prevention, as it saves your lawn from serious damage. Therefore, it is recommended to keep an eye on the health of your lawn during the spring, summer, and fall — looking for past and present signs of grub larvae. 

Potential warning signs include:

• Brown or dead patches of grass. 
• Raccoons, skunks, armadillos, or birds are digging up your yard looking for grubs to eat.

• You can pull back the dead patches on your lawn like pieces of loose carpet. This happens 
because grubs eat the roots holding the turf firmly in place on the soil. 

• Before the dead patches even appear, your lawn feels spongy when stepped on, as if it were 
freshly laid sod.
 

Treatment for Grubs 

Grubs thrive in moist soil. Therefore, it is important to not overwater your lawn during the summer months. Treating grubs in early to mid-summer is best as grubs are inactive and no longer feeding in the spring. There are a number of pesticide and eco-friendly preventative measures that can be taken to fight off potential grub development including: 

• Dylox – fast-acting and most effective in the fall.
• Merit and Mach-2 – used early in the season as a helpful prevention.
• Milky Spore – effective and environmentally safe. Used on active grubs.
• Neem Oil – a botanical pesticide that repels against beetles and lawn grubs.
• Nematodes – a soil-dwelling worm that releases bacteria into the soil which in turn, infects and kills lawn grubs. 

Looking for Lawn Grub Treatment?

Is your lawn showing signs of grubs? Don’t hesitate to contact us to help provide you with the lawn care you need! Invest in protecting your yard through the summer with preventative grub control. Call us today at: (573) 268-3947 for a free estimate!