How to: Keep Grubs Away From Your Lawn and Keep Them from Killing Your Grass

If you have problems with beetles, such as Japanese beetles in the early summer and dead patches of grass appear in your lawn in late summer, you could have grubs. Grubs are the larvae of Japanese beetles, June beetles and chafers, among others. These C-shaped creatures feast on the roots of grass and plants. To find out if you have a problem, peel back a square foot of turf or scrape back the top layer of soil in your garden beds. If you see six or more grubs, it’s time for action. There are several ways you can address this issue. Some methods are organic and some are using more synthetic or man-made methods.

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While both are quite effective, many gardeners are working more toward organic methods of caring for their garden, and yes even their grass! Did you know that you can kill this problematic insect by introducing beneficial nematodes and bacteria (milky spores) into your soil? They won’t harm pets, humans or other animals. Other organic methods are limiting irrigation and allowing soil to dry, neem oil, and even allowing birds to naturally address this issue for you. They may look gross to us, but for some birds they look like dinner!

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