Did you know that white grubs could be considered one of the most damaging turf insects in the United States? That's right, grubs are one of the single-worst insects that can do damage to your lawn's health. One of the reasons they are one of the hardest insects to treat is due to their many stages of life they cycle through, and how quickly they are able to reproduce and go into hiding.
If you're new to lawn management or just unfamiliar with the species, we put together this guide to help explain why they are here, how to spot them, and what you can do to treat them.
What are Grubs?
Before we jump right into grub removal and treatment, its important to understand what grubs are and their lifecycles. Grubs are the juvenile larval form of Japanese beetles. As their name suggests, Japanese beetles did not originate in North America; they were accidentally introduced into the continent in the early 1900s.
In Japan, these beetles had natural predators that kept them from causing too much damage, but here they lack predators to prevent them from becoming pests. White Grubs spend most of the year deep in the soil, until they hatch and begin feeding on roots and other nutrients.
June will be their most visible stage, as it is typically when they enter their "pupae stage." There will only be a few weeks for the grubs to fully transform into beetles and lay their eggs once again.
How to Spot Grub Damage
Grubs will stay tucked away in the deeper areas of the soil until the ground begins to really warm up in the late springtime. Over time, their presence in your soil and root structure can cause visible damage to your lawn that will leave you with unsightly bare spots.
One of the most obvious ways to tell if your lawn has grubs is if you see them. They are typically an off-white color, ranging from 3/8th's of an inch to 2 inches long.
If you are already noticing spots in your lawn that are bare or even a little spongey, this can be one of the signs of grub presence underneath the soil. Grubs are also a prime choice of food for critters and even birds, so if you are noticing an abundance of critter presence in a certain area of your lawn, this can be a sign as well.
Treating Grubs
If they are there, grubs will start to make their presence known in early to late springtime, depending on the soil temperature. One of the most common approaches to grub treatment is the use of a preventative grub control product to prevent any eggs from hatching. This will lower the amount of grubs that turn up each lifecycle.
Its especially important to be proactive when treating grubs, since a healthy lawn with more green space will host more grubs than one with less greenery or more bare spots.
If you are interested in AgroPro's grub treatment programs, or our other insect treatments, visit our website to learn more and contact us today!
