To eliminate lawn grubs permanently, use a two-step approach: apply a preventative treatment like chlorantraniliprole in late spring to stop new hatchlings, and use a curative treatment like trichlorfon for immediate knockdown if an active infestation is currently ruining your turf.
For instant results, apply a curative chemical insecticide containing Trichlorfon (e.g., BioAdvanced 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus). When watered in, these products penetrate the soil and kill active grubs within 24 hours. For a natural alternative, spray a mixture of equal parts white vinegar and water with a few drops of dish soap.
Curative Treatments: Late summer to early fall (August – September). Kills on contact, so it's effective at this stage with grubs feeding near the surface. Applying too late (past October) can give pests time to bury deep for the winter and escape. Too early (June – July) can miss late hatchers.
No, grubs will not go away on their own. Because they are the larval stage of beetles, the infestation will continue to spread and worsen. As they mature, they turn into adult beetles, fly out to mate, and return to lay fresh eggs in your soil.
Grubs are the larvae of beetles (such as Japanese beetles and June bugs). They are primarily attracted to your lawn by excess soil moisture, heavy thatch buildup, and lush, well-watered grass, which provide the perfect environment for adult beetles to lay their eggs.
Use them in June or July to control grubs that would be damaging turf in the fall. Applying them too early will allow some of the chemical to leach through the turf or break down to the point that not enough insecticide will be there in July to control grubs.
Grass will not grow back in areas where the roots have been completely severed. Because grubs eat the root system, the dead turf will pull up like a carpet. While actively growing warm-season grasses (like Bermuda) can sometimes bounce back if roots remain, cool-season lawns require reseeding or new sod.
To apply grub control granules, you'll want to mow the lawn first, as well as make sure that the lawn is dry and that there is no rain predicted for the next 24 hours. The protective equipment you want to wear for this application includes long sleeves, long pants, shoes, and socks.
Keeping grass mowed high – at least 2”, and ideally 3” or more – so the grass will have a deeper, healthier root system that can tolerate more sub-surface insect feeding. Over-seeding bare or sparse areas. Fall is typically the ideal time for this. White grub damage on a lawn.
Grub damage to lawn is also caused by birds, skunks, armadillos, raccoons or moles are tearing up your lawn —they eat Grubs and are trying to uncover them. These animals also dig and eat Earthworms, so confirm Grubs are present before pursuing any treatment. Your turf has become spongy.
No, Epsom salt will not kill grub worms. While it is an excellent source of magnesium for plants, it is not an effective insecticide or pesticide for lawn grubs.
Effective lawn grub control requires choosing between preventive and curative treatments based on the season. Apply preventive products (e.g., Scotts GrubEx) in late spring or early summer to stop newly hatched grubs, or use curative treatments (e.g., [BioAdvanced 24-Hour Grub Killer Plus](https://www.homedepot.com/p/BIOADVANCED-10-lb-24-Hour-Grub Killer-Plus-Granules-700740A/202021495)) to eliminate active, root-munching grubs.
Apply and Activate: Walk at a steady pace to apply the granules to a dry lawn. Then, just water it in to get the product down into the soil where grubs live.
Skunks and raccoons actively forage for white grubs, using their keen sense of smell to locate pockets of larvae beneath the sod. When grubs are available near the surface, repeated nighttime visits are common until the food source is depleted.
'Potatoes help boost calorie consumption for birds, especially during colder weather, and when you mix them with their usual seeds and nuts, you can offer them a strong and balanced diet from your bird feeder. It helps support your local ecosystem, and you'll find you get a lot more birds visiting you.
Grub worms (the larval stage of certain insects) turn into adult scarab beetles. Depending on the specific species, these plump, C-shaped soil dwellers will typically mature into Japanese beetles, June bugs, May or June beetles, or masked chafers.
When is it too late to treat for grubs? Once grubs have grown large and moved deep into the soil in late fall or have entered the pupal stage in spring, chemical treatments are ineffective. Plan your preventive applications for early to mid‑summer and curative applications for late summer if needed.
To kill grubs in your soil, apply beneficial nematodes (biological control) or a curative grub-killing chemical like trichlorfon (e.g., BioAdvanced 24 Hour Grub Killer Plus). Always water the soil thoroughly immediately after application so the treatment reaches the grubs living 1 to 4 inches underground.
Moist soil. Whether you over-water your lawn or have poor drainage, excess moisture creates an ideal habitat for grubs. Thatch. Beetles like to hide and lay their eggs in thick layers of grass rich in organic material so there's plenty of food for the larvae once they hatch.
Many Amish communities maintain their lawns quietly without grid electricity or standard gas engines. They typically use heavy-duty manual push reel mowers, while larger properties may use horse-drawn gang mowers, a scythe for taller patches, or sometimes small, modified gas-powered mowers depending on the specific church district.
Stop mowing your lawn in the fall when you experience at least 3 to 4 consecutive days of daytime temperatures below 50℉ (usually around late October or early November). When temperatures fall below 50℉, most warm-season grasses stop growing, and you can pack your lawn mower away until spring next year.
To prevent grubs from infesting your lawn, the best time to treat the area with insecticides is late spring or early summer. For active infestations, you should treat your lawn in early fall.
Unfortunately, grubs won't go away on their own. If left untreated, the infestation will continue to spread and result in further harm to your turf. As the grubs grow and develop, they will eventually pupate and emerge as adult beetles.
A grub-infested lawn looks patchy and dull, featuring irregular brown or yellow spots of dying grass. Because grubs feed directly on root systems, the most definitive sign is turf that feels spongy when walked on and can be easily peeled or rolled back like a loose rug, with no roots anchoring it to the soil.
How and when to mow. If a traditional neat lawn is desired, lawns should generally be mown weekly or fortnightly between March and October to keep them in good condition.