White Grubs, Lawn Grubs & Grub Control
Lawn Grubs or white grubs come from beetle larvae. You can typically find these grubs in lawn during the late spring and early summer as well as in the fall. The most notorious lawn grub worms of these groups are Japanese beetles, masked chaffers, and Asiatic and June beetles. They are called white grubs because the larvae are white and have six tiny legs. White grubs (larvae) do most of their damage in the early summer.
In the June and July, these larva turn into adult beetles, they mate, and then lay their eggs back into the soil. In the early fall, the larva lay their eggs in the soil.
Before it gets to cold, the grub worms burrow themselves 6 to 8 inches into the soil. They emerge in the early spring as larva and grow very fast as they eat your lawn. If you are going to apply white grub control, it is important to catch them as early as possible because often, you don’t know you have them until it is to late. Most of the time you want to apply grub contral in the late spring or in the fall.
Most of the time, the white grubs do not kill the lawn directly, but they eat they eat the tap roots, than as conditions of lawn stress or mild drought become fatal to a lawn. One or two lwn grubs in your lawn won't do any damage, but when you have 8-10 larva in a twevel inspace, they can really do a lot of damage. Adult beetles do not damage grass very much, but instead eat ornamentals and lay eggs back into the soil.
How do you know if you need white grub control?
A good early indicator that you have a lawn grub problem is you may see a a lot of holes in your lawn from birds or gophers feasting on these insects. Once white lawn grubs have been through an area, the grass turf will be start to look unhealthy and be in patches. Grubs in Lawn can do a lot of damage by eating the grass and the grass roots. As it start to get hotter, you will start to notice that they are doing more and more damage.
Grub control is difficult, if they are partially protected by the thatch layer in your lawn and the depth to which they live under the soil. It may be best to use a long lasting pesticide to get rid of lawn grubs. Learn about
organic grub control.
What do white lawn grubs in lawn look like?
White grubs are between ½ inch and 3/4 inch, although they may be a little smaller in the early spring. White grubs typically live two inches under the surface of the soil. The damage caused by them will leave you with dry wilted grass with a few green patches. The damage will be most apparent in the areas of the lawn that are the least healthy and the areas of grass with the greatest concentration of these grubs.
This website is all about helping you kill, control, and get rid of your white grubs. We have a page dedicated to Japanese Beetle, June beetles and masked chaufers.
(Sometimes you can cut down on the probability of getting insect infestations by regularly thatching and aerating your lawn.)
White Grub Worms and Cutworms: Five FAQs
A. What is the difference between a white grub and a cutworm?
Q. Cutworms are moth larvae and white grubs are beetle larvae. Cutworms are usually a little longer (1-2 inches) than these grubs (1/2-1 inch long). White grubs are white (hence the name) while cutworms are brown or tan-colored.
Q. How do grubs in lawn affect the grass?
A. Both cutworms and white grubs live in the thatch layer of the lawn during the spring and summer. This spongy layer on the soil’s surface protects them and allows them access food and water. White grubs eat the grass roots, causing the lawn to wilt and then dry out. This leaves the grass more likely to die when stressed, such as during heat spells and droughts. Cutworms eat the actual blades of the grass, killing the top first.
Q. How can I tell if I have an infestation of Grubs in the Lawn?
A. A great way to spot it early is to notice if birds are putting a lot of holes into the ground, looking for these grubs to eat. Gophers will also eat them. The grass will start looking worse too, but then the problem is getting pretty bad, and wilted and dry grass can have other causes.
You also know if you have whit grubs in the lawn if it start to turn yellow for no apparent reason. Also, if you can pull the grass out of the lawn very easily, it is becauce the white lawn grubs have eaten throught the roots of the grass plant.
One great way to test is to dif out a 12 by 12 inch square in your lawn, if you have more then 7 to 10 grubs per square ft, it could be fatal to your lawn and you should definately have your lawn treated. If you only find one or two white grubs, then it is unlikely you will even need to use grub control to get rid of them.
Q. What should I do about white lawn grubs and cutworms?
A. The type of lawn grub control you use is very important. A long-lasting pesticide is best for both of these pests. Since cutworms are the most active at night, apply a contact herbicide just before it gets dark. Once they ingest the pesticide with the grass, they will die. Since white grubs burrow deeper into the ground (6” or more) in the fall and stay there through the winter, it is best to use a pesticide for them in the spring and summer months. It may take more than one application to solve the issue.
Can Grub Worms Really Ruin my Lawn?
Yes, Grub worms eat roots of your grass. When there are only a few in your lawn, they don't do a lot of damage and most of it is self-repaired. When there are a lot of grub worms,the damage can be much more extensive. Miner damage to your lawn can be fixed by power raking and overseeding your lawn, but if the damage is extensive, you may want to rent a sod cutter to tear out your lawn and learn how to lay sod.
It is best to treat lawn grubs right away with grub control or by organic means in order to prevent them from destroying your lawn.