At Pure Solutions we see a wide array of issues when consulting on organic lawn care. One topic that many of our customers commonly share is dealing with grubs. Lawn grubs are a nuisance that many homeowners must deal with each summer. They appear almost out of nowhere and cause a painful amount of destruction to lawns. The majority of the time grub worms are either European Chafer or Japanese Beetle larvae. 

Both are considered ‘white grubs’ and have similar life cycle patterns when laying their eggs. These beetles prefer to lay their eggs in sunny areas around mid-summer. Grubs live in the soil and they voraciously feed on the roots of the grass in your lawn. This leaves lawns looking extremely unhealthy, with brown, dead turf patches. In addition to killing the grass, lawn grubs also attract wildlife that feed on them as a food source such as crows, raccoons, moles and skunks. These predators cause further damage by digging up patches of grass in search of a meal and can destroy a lawn in a days time. 

Signs of Lawn Grubs:

• Wildlife digging up your grass in search of grubs. Mounds of turf that look like they have been clumped together.
• You are easily able to peel back the turf, roots are not holding.
• Dead patches of lawn, brown, spotty. Almost burnt looking. 
• Lawn feels soft and/or squishy when walked on.

What is Natural Grub Control?

At Pure Solutions we use a product called grubGONE!® which is an organic biological grub preventive and curative treatment. grubGONE!® controls lawn grubs with a success rate equivalent to similar grub control products, but without the use of harsh toxic chemicals. This helps to avoid any side effects that may impact other insects such as pollinators. 

grubGONE!® is effective at eliminating the larvae (annual white grubs) of: 

• Annual bluegrass weevil (Listronotus maculicollis) 
• Asiatic garden beetle (Maladera castanea) 
• European chafer (Rhizotroqus majalis) 
• Green June beetle (Cotinis nitida) 
• Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) 
• May or June beetle (Phyllophaga sp.) 
• Northern masked chafer (Cyclocephala borealis) 
• Oriental beetle (Anomala orientalis) 
• Southern masked chafer (Cyclocephala lurida) 
• Black Turfgrass Ataenius (Ataenius spretulus)

Where Can grubGONE!® be used? 

“grubGONE!® G can be used for applications to landscape and recreational turf grasses found in, on and/or adjacent to golf courses (e.g., greens, tees, collars, roughs, and fairways), residential lawns, commercial grounds (e.g., office and shopping complexes and airports), parks, schools, playgrounds, athletic fields, day care facilities, pet care facilities, cemeteries, sod farms, and other turf grass-covered areas.” (grubGONE!®)

When Should You Apply grubGONE!® natural Grub Control?

The best time to have a treatment performed is in late June through August. For any grub control product to be successful, it must control grubs at all life cycles, which grubGONE!® does. Additionally, grubGONE!® not only removes the damaging grub larvae from your lawn, but also acts as a deterrent to future grub populations.  

To control annual white grubs, we apply grubGONE!® when target insects are present. For optimum annual white grub control, we apply grubGONE!® from peak adult flight through peak egg hatch of the primary insect species being targeted. Success is normally seen through one application of grubGONE!® and many homeowners use grubGONE!® as a preventive measure, even if there is no grub damage apparent. One application should be enough to kill and deter any lawn grubs for the rest of the summer. 

If you notice large brown dead areas on your lawn, or see signs that your lawn may have been dug up by an animal, then you may have a grub problem. At Pure Solutions, we have over a decade of experience in dealing with grubs in an effective, natural, and safer way, giving you a peace of mind that you are not exposing yourself, friends, family, or pets to harmful toxic chemicals. 

Want to learn more about dealing with grubs naturally? Do you need a quick free estimate for grub control? Click on the link below or call us at 781-899-7873.

Articles

http://www.bt.ucsd.edu/how_bt_work.html

http://www.phyllombioproducts.com/mperformance.html