CHAFER GRUB PLAGUE: THERE'S TIME TO ACT
20 May 2010
Garden care company, Bayer Garden, is reporting a real spike in the number of people calling for advice about chafer grubs. Sales of Provado Lawn Grub Killer also reflect this trend, with one national DIY chain reporting a 60% increase in sales of the product during mid April 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.
Anita Dent a consumer advisor for Bayer Garden explained: “We have been inundated with calls asking for advice about brown patches in lawns. People want to know what is causing these patches and how to fix the problem. For the majority it is the Chafer Grub doing the damage and consumers need to get ready to treat the problem in the next few weeks.”
The conditions in 2009 were ideal for Chafer Beetles and their root feeding young, the Chafer Grubs. The consequence of their breeding success was seen last autumn when lawn damage was noticed; further feeding damage was reported during the spring months.
Chafer Beetles lay their eggs in the top soil of lawns around May and June. The Chafer Grubs emerge from these eggs within a couple of weeks, working their way down to the roots of the lawn where they begin feeding. At this stage the grubs are very small and their impact on the lawn goes unnoticed. It is not until late summer and autumn that gardeners begin to see brown / yellowing patches of dead and dying grass appearing and spreading across the lawn.
With the onset of winter and the arrival of colder temperatures the grubs travel deeper down in to the soil, becoming dormant as they sit out the winter. Unless it is exceptionally mild they will cease feeding, beginning again in early spring as the soil temperatures warm up. At this point the growing, developing grubs become very active with increased rates of feeding resulting in the tell tale brown patches of dead grass. Unfortunately in this weakened condition the lawns are also vulnerable to secondary damage caused by badgers, foxes and birds digging up the lawn as they hunt for these large creamy white Chafer Grubs, which are temptingly close to the surface of the lawn.
A little under a year after they have hatched, the Chafer Grubs pupate before emerging as Chafer Beetles around May / June. They can be seen in the early summer evenings flying in a lazy, low fashion above the lawn and garden plants, making a clattering noise as they are attracted to light coming from lit windows during the summer evenings. A few days later the beetles mate, lay eggs and the cycle is repeated.
“The only solution is to tackle the grubs themselves,” continued Anita Dent. “We recommend applying Provado Lawn Grub Killer to the lawn at around the egg laying stage, in May and June. This systemic lawn treatment remains in the soil at the root level where it is taken up by the grass and ingested by the young Chafer Grubs as they feed on the roots of the pre-treated lawn.
“Our advice is that where an infestation exists Provado Lawn Grub Killer should be applied to the entire lawn annually as part of the general lawn maintenance programme, as gardeners can not be certain they have controlled all the grubs in a single application.
“With the area treated, gardeners can then spend time repairing the damaged lawn with new turf or seed.
“Before applying Provado Lawn Grub Killer gardeners first need to confirm that the Chafer Grub really is the source of the problem as there can be several reasons why lawns develop patches.”
Provado Lawn Grub Killer can also be used in a similar fashion in August and September to control Leatherjackets, which are the larval grubs of the Common Crane Fly, also known as Daddy-Long-Legs.
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