Jack from Chicago asks: “Should I be concerned with grub worms this Spring if my neighbor had them in his lawn last Fall?”

In the same vein, Brian from Louisville asks: “I found grub worms in my lawn while digging around recently, are they a concern?”

That’s a very good question and one that can be easily answered by saying, “no.”
Here’s why…

Grub worms are the larvae of the Japanese beetle or June Bug. These beetles are actively flying around in early summer…, eating trees and shrubs, warming themselves on your porch lights, and getting caught in my pool skimmer. In July and August they begin laying eggs in well-watered lawns. These eggs develop into larvae called grub worms.

Grubs feed on the roots of the grass plant, causing dead patches that begin to show up in early Fall.
Just before winter, they go deep into the soil and hibernate until June, when they emerge and the process starts all over. With this in mind, some grubs will grab a quick snack in April and May just before they take off, but usually this is not going to be enough to cause any noticeable damage to your turf.
 

Long story short: Your neighbor’s grubs are in his lawn to stay until June, and even if you had some of your own last year, any early feeding they do this year will not cause noticeable damage.
We wouldn’t want you spreading pesticides in your lawn when they are not needed… just keep your lawn properly fertilized and mowed, and you’ll be all good.
I would recommend this summer you put down a grub worm preventative product such as Scott’s Grub X. Japanese beetle populations have been extremely high in the Midwest in the last couple years… but not until the summer!

Final Note:for those of you who don’t believe what I wrote above and still want to know what to put down this spring for insects, your best bet is poduct containing Dylox.

UPDATE April 2008– if you are finding grubs in your lawn this Spring, click here. But if you are reading this in summer or fall, then stay here and read the rest… free lawn care advice follows!… (and yes, I’ll tell you if BEER works on grubs too)

Here in the Midwest and Chicago area, the dreaded grub worm (larvae of the June bug) is preparing for it’s annual late Summer feast. And, since you have been a regular reader of this blog, you certainly are a prime candidate because you’ve followed all of my advice to the letter, and your lawn is perfectly healthy and green; ripe for an all-you-can-eat frenzy.

With White Grubs, timing is everything

If you are reading this article in September or October, and seeing brown spots in your well-irrigated lawn, chances are that grubs are the culprit. All you have to do is lift up the outer edges of the dead spots and look for the “little shrimp” feeding underneath. If you find them, go get some Sevin or other granular insecticide and spread it across the affected areas and water it in. This will kill the grubs and stop them in their tracks.

But if you are reading this article and it is around the timeframe of June or July, then you should put down a preventative insecticide in your lawn to STOP the grubs. I have noticed grub worm populations rising in the last couple of years. 2007 was the worst year I have seen in decades of green industry involvement, and 2008 is poised to be the same or worse.

When buying a grub worm preventative, you should look for one containing Merit, by Bayer Agro-Sciences. This is the industry standard grub preventing product. It must be watered in to the soil to be effective. Scott’s Grub-X contains Merit and is a good product for the DIYer.

There are also organic grub preventative products, such as milky spore, that do have some effect on grubs, but they must be applied several times over the course of the season. Plan to spend a few bucks to go organic in this particular area of lawn care. I respect you if you do!

Beer and Grub Worms

Some idiot came out a few years ago and said that beer kills grub worms. The truth is that enough beer will kill anything, including you. So, yes, beer kills grubs, and here’s how.

You need to soak the lawn clear into the soil with full strenght beer (not watered in because that waters it down too much). The grass plants take in the beer thru their roots and when the grubs feed, they “feel full” and quit eating and die. (this is the same way that the chemical grub control works also, using a compound referred to as a “neonicatanoid.”.. comes from “nicotine” like in cigarettes)

Anyway, so beer will work; sort-of, but let’s logic together first.

1. Using beer is an expensive way to go. It would take a case of beer to cover a 10′ x 10′ spot completely, costing you about $15 for a 100 sq ft area. (assuming you drink Bud or Lite and not Old Mil-Water) You could get a real grub control that would cover your entire 5,000 sq foot lawn for that amount.
2. Beer stinks like feet when it rots in the sun. Don’t ask me how I know this, but trust me, it smells really bad when it rots.
3. How would you put it down? Are you going to just pour it out of the bottle? That won’t be even coverage.
4. It’s just plain alcohol abuse to waste good beer on your grass! Beer is for drinking by the pool with some chips and salsa!
5. Finally, who says that beer is a good alternative for the environment anyway? It rots your liver, so how good can it be for the earthworms’ livers? (well, gizzards anyway) Remember, earthworms are good for you lawn and soil and we don’t want to kill them in the process!

Whatever you do, be sure that you do something! I wouldn’t want your little patch of green love to be damaged by nasty grub worms this summer and fall.

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