Pest Patrol: How to get rid of grubs in your yard

If irregularly shaped sections of your lawn are withering away, the problem could be grubs. These small beetle larvae live in the soil and feed on lawn roots.

To determine whether you have a grub problem, cut into your lawn near the edge of a brown area and lift the grass. If it comes up easily, as if you’re rolling up carpet, your yard has grubs. Odds are, you’ll see some of these milky-white, wormlike creatures with brown heads and three pairs of legs curled into a C shape (shown).

The remedy: Apply chemical insecticides with imidacloprid or halofenozide in July or August when grubs are immature. After a couple of days, reseed or replant any damaged areas. (Learn how to plant the perfect grass.)

To kill mature grubs this fall or next spring, combine Heterorhabditis nematodes—sold in pastelike form—with water and apply to the soil according to the package instructions.

Next week’s pest: There’s one other reason to target grubs—they’re a favorite food of moles, whose extensive tunneling can exacerbate the damage grubs do to your lawn. We’ll target ways to control the five species of mole common to the U.S. in an upcoming installment of Pest Patrol.

Essential information: Our updated Complete Lawn & Yard Guide offers how-to advice for planting and pruning and Ratings (available to subscribers) of a wide array of lawn and garden equipment. You’ll also find the best ways to deal with weeds, lawn diseases, and common insects as well as an interactive tour of  major lawn problems.

Comments

[John]

I don't have moles - yet. But I do get skunks churning up the ground like a tiller looking for the grubs.

[Steve]

On the recommendation of my father-in-law (a lawn freak) I have used a product called milky spore.
I must say that it is more expensive than your regular grub killer, but:
one application last 15 years (fifteen)
it's USDA organic approved (good for garden)
and it works!!
you may research the product and look at the USDA website.

just be aware that it takes up to 2 years for the product to be fully effective. for the 1 year I did a Milky spore application and a regular product one.
Since that day, almost no grubs.
I used to find about 5 grubs/Sqf in the garden and 10 in the lawn
I would highly suggest any smart consumer to take a look at it.
Steve.
MA

[Eldon Davisson]

How damaging can grubs be in a vegetable garden? I have uncovere3d several of them but haven't seen any avidence of root damage.

Is the use of insectisides or nematodes to solve the grub problem my vagetable garden recommended?