What's Bugging Your Lawn?

• Grubs have a white, “C” shaped body, a brown head and six legs on the upper half of their bodies.
• The white grub is just one part of the life cycle of the June beetle, Japanese beetle, and the European chafer beetle.
• Eggs are laid in late June to early July and hatch into grubs, which begin to feed on the roots of your lawn from late July to August.
• Come winter, the grubs burrow beneath the frost line. When the ground begins to warm in March/April, they rise and start feeding again.
• Raccoons and skunks love to feed on grubs, so you may realize that there is a problem at this time when sections of your grass are ripped up on a nightly basis during spring. Patches of brown, dead grass indicate that grubs have consumed the root system.
• The grubs will continue to feed and grow until mid May when they develop into their final pupal form. The adult beetle emerges in mid June and mates, then the females return to the soil to lay their eggs.

One natural pest control is Beneficial Nematodes. These microscopic worms enter the grub, release bacteria, reproduce in the host, and kill it. The nematodes then vacate the dying insect and seek a new host. All vertebrates (humans, dogs, birds, etc.) are completely resistant to nematodes as are plants, earthworms, and helpful insects like bees and lady bugs.

• Apply nematodes to your lawn when the soil has warmed to 10⁰C in May (through June-July the nematode population will rapidly increase from the few released).
• Water the affected area for an hour before application.
• Place the product in a hose end specifically designed for nematode application. This is critical to avoid trauma to the nematodes.
• The nematodes will move quickly through the pre-moistened soil once mixed with water.
• The nematodes will move quickly through the pre-moistened soil once mixed with water.
• The nematodes will survive for up to 15 months.
• Keep applying nematodes for 2–3 years until you are confident your lawn is grub-free.
• Regular applications of Parkwood® fertilizer will keep your grass strong and increase root production.
• Minimize thatch buildup so that fertilizer, water, and air can pass into the root zone easily. If you don’t have a de-thatching lawn mower, rake all clippings from the lawn and use a de-thatching rake to remove the solid buildup of old clippings.
• Keep your lawn well watered with 2.5–4 cm (1–1.6”) of water per week. If your schedule is too hectic to achieve this, consider installing an in-ground irrigation system so you can set a timer for regular intervals. To keep raccoons and skunks from digging up your lawn, lay well-anchored chicken wire over the area that can be rolled up and reused as necessary.

• Chinch bugs are very small and bright red when young, deepening to dark red, and finally dark grey with white patches when they fully mature.
• These pests suck the juices from the crown and stems of grass. They inject a poison that causes blades to turn brown and die.
• Chinch bugs are most active when the weather is dry and hot. You will see considerable damage especially in sunny areas of the lawn.
• To test if you have chinch bugs, cut the top and bottom off a large juice, coffee, or vegetable can. Force the open-ended can into the grass (on the edge) to half its depth and fill it with warm water. If there are chinch bugs in the vicinity they’ll soon float to the surface since they don’t dwell below ground like grubs.

• For natural control, reduce the use of fertilizer high in nitrogen and sow grass seed with perennial ryegrass that’s been endophyte enhanced. Try Parkwood® Supreme or Forest Blend. Endophyte is a deterrent for chinch bugs and other surface feeding insects and naturally occurs in many perennial ryegrasses and some fescues.

• The adult sod webworm is a small, white-grey moth that flies up in zigzag patterns when you walk across the lawn at dusk.
• The larvae are slender, grey, black-spotted caterpillars that hide during the day.
• Overwintering larvae emerge and begin feeding at night or on overcast days in spring. In early summer, they mature into moths.
• Throughout the summer, the moths fly over and drop as many as three generations of eggs per season into the lawn.
• Damage by sod webworm is characterized by grass blades chewed off or skeletonized just above the thatch line.

• Natural controls include the use of Guardian For Sod.