The summer months are here, and that means it should be the time to show your beautiful lawn. A lot of pride can be found in displaying a perfectly manicured lawn with plush green grass, so soft that no shoes are required. That may be the dream, but sadly the reality is there are plenty of little insects that make it their mission to quash your dream. A big culprit of dying grass is the white grub.
How do you identify white grubs?
White grubs are easy to identify. They have a milky white body and a brown head. They curl up into a “C” shape when they’re spooked and they are typically about 2 cm in length. They will be easy to spot when you dig up a portion of your lawn to investigate what has been killing your grass. White grubs do their damage by munching on the roots of your grass. Once the root is damaged the grass will easily detach itself from the root and there goes your plush beautiful lawn.
What problems do white grubs cause?
As mentioned above, white grubs damage your lawn by eating at the grassroots, thereby killing the lawn and leaving unsightly dead patches. But that’s not the only problem they cause. They also attract various rodents such as moles and skunks. These rodents do want to eat the white grubs which will help control the population, however they will certainly rip up your lawn quite furiously to get their snack. Skunks are not something you want hanging around your backyard even if they are assisting with your grub clean up.
How can you get rid of white grubs?
White grubs are not something that can be left up to winter weather to kill off. Unfortunately white grubs hibernate and keep themselves nice and warm and cozy in your soil so they can come back the following year to continue their harvest. As part of the life cycle of white grubs they emerge from the soil as beetles; not quite a beautiful rebirth story such as caterpillar to butterfly. Once the beetles are out of your lawn, don’t think you are out of the woods. You can guarantee they will be back to burrow into the soil again in only a few short weeks to lay their eggs and being the next cycle of life. If you think your lawn has a white grub problem it’s best to investigate a bit further. Dig up different sections of your lawn to expose the dirt underneath. If you see clusters of white grubs in every patch you dig up, it is in your lawn’s best interest to seek out treatment. It’s best to treat your lawn for white grubs in either May or early June when they have started to surface after their winter hibernation, or in late summer when the beetles have emerged and have returned to lay their eggs. Pesticides can be used to remove white grubs but be certain to follow all of the safety precautions listed as chemicals can be harmful to not only the white grubs. With any luck your lawn will soon again flourish! For more tips about taking care of white grubs and other common lawn pests, visit your nearest Ritchie Feed & Seed garden centre in Ottawa, Stittsville, Richmond, Brockville, or Winchester. Our gardening and lawn care experts are here to serve you and help restore the lush green grass you’ve been waiting for.
