If you have a beautiful lawn that you would like to keep that way then you probably know about grubs. Grubs are the initial stage of a number of different insects but most of the time they are beetles. The grub is what hatches from the egg. It must go through multiple transformations in order to achieve adulthood. While they prepare for this transformation they must gorge themselves on food. The type of food they eat is the roots of grass and other weak plants. The first thing you will notice is patches of brown or grey grass. Patches of this kind of grass could be caused by many things but if the patches touch in parts then you can be sure it is grubs and not fertilizer burn. Grubs are frustrating to deal with because they are underground. While you could dig up your entire lawn and resod it that would be very expensive. That and they would likely come back next year. The best option is to use insecticides to treat the lawn which will kill the beetles which will eventually stop the grubs from being born. This can take time so be patient. Don’t get over-excited because insecticides can also damage your lawn with overtreatment. Over toxifying your lawn could lead to the insecticide draining into the water table and causing untold damage to the local ecosystem.
The first step is to identify the cause of the dead grass. If it is not grubs then you will be wasting time and money creating something that isn’t there while the real issue goes unnoticed. The patches of grass that die will die in a pathway. Grubs in a specific area will move when they are don’t with the grass in that spot and will eat as they go, this will create a system of pathways between the dead grass spots that can help identify them as grubs. They are whiteish and clear and are like thick worms or maggots. They are very ugly and not fun to touch. The easiest way to find them is to pull up dead grass and soil. Using a shovel to dig up fresh grass near it will reveal plenty of grubs. Another sign that you have grubs is that you will see increased activity from birds and wildlife on your property and could even get moles or gophers digging your ground up. This makes the danger of having grubs sever. You must get rid of them before you end up with another infestation underground or even in your attic. It would not be fun to have to pay for both your yard to be responded while paying for your attic to be cleaned and remediated because a raccoon broke in to feed on the grubs in your lawn.
In the grub stage, all Beatles generally look the same. They will grow and transform and that will reveal their nature but for the process of getting rid of them, the species should not matter very much. There are some grubs that are a benefit to your lawn and do not cause damage, they are still going to attract birds and wild animals but they will also help your lawn. You can choose to spray anyway but it may be worth it to wait and see if they are good or bad grubs. That being said it is important to mention that grubs are a normal part of our ecology and if they are not causing a severe problem it is best to leave them be and allow the circle of life to continue unabated.
