Grub damage takes the form of irregularly shaped brown patches on a lawn. It usually makes its first appearance in August is sometimes mistaken for drought harm. Unlike a drought-damaged lawn, grub-infested turf peels up easily from the soil because its roots have been depleted.
If your grass looks brown, has brown spots or patches and the blades of grass are thin and weak, you might have grubs in your lawn. Grass that is loose and easily rolls up from the sod. Sometimes grubs will damage the root system of your lawn, resulting in sods that can be rolled up.
Grubs will cause dead patches that will not regrow; they will eat away at the healthy roots, preventing new grass from sprouting. Grass will be dead, and water and fertilizers will have no effect. They will leave a sponge-like surface on your lawn.
Grass Pulls Up Easily: Try pulling on the affected grass. If it comes up easily with little to no root attached, grubs are likely the culprit. Irregular Brown Patches: Keep an eye out for brown patches that are irregular in shape and seem to spread quickly. This can indicate grub activity.
Spray with a borax mixture.
Some homeowners get rid of grubs by spraying infested areas with a tablespoonful of borax, a common household cleaner, mixed with a quart of warm water. Be careful; borax can damage sensitive plants and your grass if you spray too much or too often.
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.
Applying grub control in late spring or early summer, typically between April and June, will help to disrupt the lifecycle. This is when grubs are in their earliest developmental stages, and the treatment will be most effective.
Grub infestations do not go away on their own, and if they go unnoticed they get worse, so it's imperative to deal with them as soon as possible!
The month of September and into early October can bring grubs to your yard. These grubs can cause serious damage to your lawn, ruining the hard work you put into maintaining it over the summer.
Grubs are generally active in the late summer through fall and then again for a brief time in the early spring. Birds, skunks, raccoons, armadillos, foxes, wild pigs and moles may dig up a lawn while looking for a tasty grub meal.
Imidacloprid is highly effective and long-lasting, providing up to 4 months of control. One of the benefits of imidacloprid is that it is safe for use around pets and wildlife, and is not harmful to beneficial insects. We consider imidacloprid to be the overall best grub killer.
To activate the product, water immediately after applying. A drought-stressed, underfed lawn will show grub damage faster, and with fewer grubs per square foot, than a properly-fed, well-maintained lawn.
Preventive insecticide treatments should be applied from late May to early August. The insecticide must be watered in with irrigation ror rainfall to be effective (0.5 inch minimum). Applications after mid-August and in the spring time, when grubs are fully grown, are not effective.
If you over-water your lawn during the summer, you may be providing excess moisture for the grubs to thrive in. The longer you water, the more likely that moisture is to seep down into the layer of soil where they reside.
With a pesticide application you should stay off treated areas for 24 hours.
Raccoons and skunks can cause considerable damage to lawns digging for grubs, worms, and other insects. Skunks create holes by pushing their noses into the lawn and then using their front paws to dig out the area. There can be so many holes rutted out that they coalesce together into a large disturbed patch of grass.
Effective Grub Control on Lawns
After all, if you are investing in lawn care, you don't want to see your lawn destroyed by a problem that could have been prevented. Grub control is ultimately an investment in maintaining your lawn's health. It's one of those problems that is just not worth risking.
Grubs are attracted to healthy, thick grass. Healthy grass means a healthy root system, which is what the grubs feed on as soon as they hatch. The higher the concentration of larvae, the more severe your lawn damage will be.
Luckily, your lawn can recover! Schedule an overseeding service to help thicken your turf after a grub infestation. By spreading grass seeds across your lawn, your lawn will be filled with new, green grass that will fill in any bare or patchy areas that were caused by grub damage.
To kill grubs in the spring or fall, use carbaryl or trichlorfon. Always wear rubber gloves and rubber boots when applying insecticides to turfgrass. Make sure to irrigate the lawn with at least 0.5 inches of water* and allow the grass to dry before allowing anyone or pets into the treated area.
Make a homemade grub killer that targets beetles. One popular home remedy is to combine lemon juice, dish soap, and mouthwash with a bit of water in a spray bottle.
Apply Scotts® GrubEx®1 Season Long Grub Killer to a dry lawn in the spring or early summer to kill grubs as they develop. We recommend using a Scotts® spreader to apply this product.
Grubs can also cause the lawn to turn brown in areas where they've feasted. If you notice that you have brown spots on your lawn, it could be that those areas have grubs. Brown spots can have other causes, too. Turf disease, drought stress, and surface-feeding insects can also cause areas of the lawn to turn brown.