One of the most destructive pests to invade your lawn are grubs. Grubs are the larvae of beetles, such as Japanese Beetles, Asiatic garden beetles, June beetles, and chafer beetles. In July, these beetles are everywhere – you’ve probably seen them in your yard, sitting on the leaves of your plants.
These adult insects eat your plants, mate, and then lay their eggs in the ground. Once the eggs hatch, grubs become active in late August and into September, looking for food. When the winter approaches, they’ll move further down into the soil. Once it grows warm in the spring, they’ll continue to feast on the roots, change into a pupae, and crawl out of the ground as a beetle. Soon, you’ll see your plants covered in these flying insects. Then, the whole cycle will start again.
Grubs will thrive in just about any yard that has grass – so it’s not just your yard that they’ve taken a liking to. These pests are voracious eaters and will devour your grass’ roots. The roots not only deliver needed water and nutrients to the grass plants, but they also anchor the grass to the ground. That’s why grub-infested grass will easily separate from the soil.
Take a look at your lawn and look for brown spots and wilted grass. You may also see animals – such as birds during the day and raccoons at night – digging around, because grubs are a tasty treat.
Go to a section of your yard that you think it has affected, and try to pull the grass up. If it’s easy to do so, and you see white, fat, C-shaped insects in the dirt, then you have grubs.
Grubs can be destructive because they not only eat grass roots, they then morph into beetles that will prey upon your plants. Superior Lawn Care has a guaranteed grub control application to prevent grub damage that will be applied from mid-June to mid-August. If you suspect grubs, it’s important to call Superior Lawn Care today to learn more about preventative grub control. We service homeowners in southwestern PA, including Cranberry, Peters Township, Wexford, Penn Township, Upper St. Clair, Murrsyville, North Huntington, and Indiana.