Preventing and killing grub worms will keep them from damaging your lawn. These disgusting little creatures are the larvae of the June bug and other types of beetles. They hatch in mid-summer and feed on grass roots before winter. If your lawn is well-fed and gets enough water, then brown spots that appear are likely the result of grub worm infestation. To be sure, dig into a brown patch of lawn. You should find grubs if they are what are causing the damage. The grass will come up easily because the critters have eaten the roots.
Preventing Grub Worms
With grub worms, an ounce of prevention is certainly worth a pound of cure. They can best be prevented by treating your lawn with an appropriate insecticide in the spring months. These preventative treatments either stop the grub from feeding or hasten the molt process, both of which kill them before they have a chance to begin feeding on your lawn. These products should be applied in April to mid-May.
There are several good preventative products on the market including Merit, Mach2, Proxol and Ficam.
Killing Grub Worms
If you know you’ve got a grub worm problem later in the summer, there are still plenty of products available to stop them in their tracks. Sevin is a common one. Merit also works well on feeding grub worms. Mocap, Dursban and Diazinon are other popular grub killers. The grubs consume these curative insecticides and perish quickly.
Depending on your climate, grubs may be active into mid or late October, so keep an eye out for telltale brown spots up until the first frosts of the year. If you have to kill them one year, plan a preventative does of insecticide the next spring so that the problem isn’t repeated.
With diligence, you should be able to prevent or minimize grub worm infestation within a year, reducing the need to treat the lawn every spring and fall. Keep in mind, however, that a preventative application of grub killer is the best way to protect your lawn from being destroyed by these insidious pests.
