Grubs wreaking havoc on lawns

Crystal Nelson
Alpena residents may be interested to learn that the culprit responsible for destroying many area lawns are the larvae of the European chafer beetle. The larvae feed on grassroots, which are the most noticeable sign of their presence, but the beetles are also attracted to vegetable gardens and flower beds.

Phillip Duranceau, retail manager at J&J Garden Center, said Alpena residents have been coming in frequently with questions.

Some of the first indicators you might have an infestation are dead patches of grass as well as moles and skunks digging in the yard to feed on the grubs. Duranceau said if you dig up a clod of grass and find one or two, it’s OK, but if you can count more than a dozen of these grubs, there is a problem. He also pointed out that it’s OK for even healthy lawns to have grubs.

“It’s just been a perfect setting for growth of the grubs you know, population explosion of the grubs, the weakened state of lawns due to the droughts and then you throw in some winter kill on top of it all and it’s just been kind of a perfect storm involving lawns,” Duranceau said.

Right now the recommended chemical to use is Sevin granules, which contains an ingredient called carbaryl that kills grubs in this particular stage of development. People looking to get rid of this batch of grubs need to act quickly, May 15 was the recommended date the MSU Extension office suggested people treat their lawn by.

“You’re gonna want to use insecticides to control the grubs to begin with, but then you also want to maintain a very good, healthy growing turf. And we are going to do that with a very good quality fertilizer program, a good watering program and just good overall general maintenance. That’s kind of the key to withstanding the onslaught of the grubs,” Duranceau said.

He recommends treating the lawn twice: once in early May to kill the larvae of the European chafer from last fall, and once in early July to kill the larvae when this batch of beetles mature and reproduce.

“We always have two go-rounds of them, so many people say, ‘geez I treated for grubs this springtime, but I’ve got them again summertime or mid-summer’ and what it is, is just two cycles of them that come on and that’s what makes it so difficult to control,” Duranceau said.

He also couldn’t stress the importance of proper care and management enough including fertilizing the lawn and deep root waterings. Duranceau said a good watering is at least an hour, especially on newly planted lawn.

The reported grub problem is not only in the Alpena area, but also in the Brighton and Cheboygan areas.

Crystal Nelson can be reached via e-mail at cnelson@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5693.