What are White Grubs?
White grubs are small, white beetle larvae that can cause some serious problems for a lawn. They are only around a half inch to an inch long, but with many of them together, they can severely damage a lawn, especially one that is not particularly healthy to begin with.
When white lawn grubs hatch from eggs in the spring, they eat the crown or tap root of the grass. If enough are eating the lawn, then they weaken the grass enough to where it is susceptible to drought and other stresses. They will continue to eat and grow through the summer until the fall when the larvae dig 6 or so inches into the dirt. They will come out again at the beginning of spring and lay new eggs, which will begin the cycle again. As adult beetles, they will not damage the grass since they eat ornamentals, but they do lay more eggs which leads to more larvae.
Since white grubs are so small and like to live in a couple inches of soil, they can be hard to spot. A warning sign is many holes in the lawn from birds and gophers trying to get to the grubs to eat them. Left unchecked, they will cause the grass to dry out and wilt.
The earlier the problem is caught, the easier it is to do something about these pests. It is best to apply a long-lasting pesticide to the lawn in spring or summer when the grubs are eating and growing. Once fall hits, they will be down deep in the dirt and the pesticide may not affect them at all. If there is a large amount of larvae, then more than one application of pesticide may be needed. A fairly healthy lawn may come back just fine on its own. If not, it should be reseeded.
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