How do I know if I have Active Grubs or Grub Damage?

The cool fall weather provides your lawn with relief from the stress of the harsh summer heat and humidity. With this relief comes another threat to your lawn’s health, known as grubs. In September and early October, grubs can invade your yard, causing significant damage to your lawn, ruining the healthy lush lawn you’ve worked all summer to maintain.

Facts About Grubs

Grubs are the larvae of beetles that hatch between late August and early October. Common beetles that inhabit Southwestern PA include:

• Japanese beetles
• May/June beetles
• Oriental beetles

During the summer season, beetles such as oriental beetles or similar beetle insects begin to attach to your grass and other plants to eat them. Throughout the summer, beetles like the oriental beetles and other similar beetle insects will begin to attach themselves to your grass and other plants, eating them.

Once the beetles have had their fill, they will begin to mate and then they will lay their eggs.  These eggs will gestate over the course of about a month or two. When these eggs hatch, they become hungry grubs.

In the early fall, grubs feed on the roots of your grass and then they burrow into the ground once the season is over. When the warm weather of spring rolls around, the grubs will emerge from the ground, out of their dormant state to feed on your lawn again, turning into beetles.

How to Know If You Have Active Grubs or Grub Damage

During the fall season, there are a few ways that you can determine whether you have active grubs or grubs damage by inspecting your lawn. Because grubs feed on the roots of your grass, the roots typically become damaged and unable to deliver water and nutrients to the grass. Without the proper nutrient or sufficient water supply, your grass can become blemished with patches of wilted brown or yellow grass.

If you feel your yard with your hand or foot, it may also feel soft or spongy. You may even be able to easily pull up sections of your lawn or roll it back like a carpet. This can expose the grubs on the surface of the soil. To check for grubs, try pulling up the yellow or brown sections of grass. If the grass pulls up easily check the surface of the soil for white, c-shaped insects that are roughly the size of a penny. If you see these insects, then this means you have active grubs. If they are present, then you have active grubs.

The presence of birds, skunks or raccoons digging up your lawn is another sign of active grub damage. These animals will dig up your lawn searching for grubs to eat. Another sign of grub

Think you May Have Active Grub Damage? Contact Superior Lawn Care!

If you notice any of the signs discussed above or think you have grub damage or active grubs, Superior Lawn Care has the expertise to help! While grub damage is destructive, the Superior Lawn Care team will apply a curative grub control to your lawn to curb the damage caused by grubs. This treatment also prevents future damage from occurring. Once we’ve completed the application, the applied product should be heavily watered into your lawn. This will help the product to begin working immediately to take care of your grub problem.

Superior Lawn Care provides grub control services to customers all over Southwestern PA, including Moon Township, Wexford, Pittsburgh, Upper St. Clair, and Indiana. Call us today to learn how we can help you keep your lawn healthy and free of grub damage throughout the year!