How to get rid of lawn grubs naturally is a question you may ask? If you are someone who enjoys gardening, then you will have most likely encountered Lawn Grubs before. These little creatures may seem innocent enough, but as you may know, they can cause some real damage to your lawns and other green areas that you have worked so hard to bring to life.
You may be wondering just how to get rid of the pests, but in a way that is safe and environmentally friendly. Within this article, we will go over some of these useful methods that will utilize some of the best natural ways to get rid of your lawn grubs.
Why do Lawn Grubs need to go?
If you aren’t so sure that lawn grubs are such an issue, then let us go over some of the reasons that lawn grubs aren’t going to help give you the garden you can only dream of.
These little critters can cause massive amounts of damage to your green spaces, they will take root and eat up all the leaves, roots, and other green plant matter that they can get their grubby mandibles on.
Eventually, they will do enough damage that you will be able to take your lawn and roll it up like a carpet! If they do enough damage to the roots going into the soil, all of the structure of the lawn will become undone.
As well as this dead spots in the grass and a spongy texture to the ground can arise. Failing this, predators that are looking for an easy meal can disrupt and dig up the earth to get at the lawn grubs. This could be anything from birds to rodents, to other mammals.
It is also worth mentioning that grubs won’t just go away on their own. These small pests will burrow down in the winter, so even if they seem like they have gone, they will emerge again in the spring and summer as beetles lay more eggs and start to process all over again with greater numbers.
So, I think you can see that, in the end, although they initially might not seem so dangerous, these grubs can really do a whole lot to disrupt the tranquility of your garden that you have spent so much time curating.
When should I get rid of Lawn Grubs?
This is one of the most important things to consider is the time of year in which you decide to start treatment on the Lawn Grubs. If you were to pick the wrong time of year, you may end up not having the kind of impact you might like.
In terms of the lifespan of lawn grubs, it will end up being around 3 weeks – but during this time they can do a lot of damage. If you already have lawn grubs, this means that one cycle has already taken place at least (from egg to grub, to beetle, back to egg).
During the end of the summer, the grubs will start to hatch, and this will make it the best time to take action. Starting to get rid of the grubs at this time will allow you to not only catch the existing grubs, but also any eggs that will be itching to hatch at any moment.
Hot summers with little rainfall can also provide a good amount of help in getting rid of the critters. Enjoying moist environments, hot and dry summers will put the grubs on the backfoot and leave them susceptible to intensive treatment in order to remove them.
Of course, if you haven’t reached this part of the year yet, you can take preventative measures, but to end them in one fell swoop, you will need to get into gear around the end of summer/start of fall.
What should I use to get rid of Lawn Grubs?
One of the best ways in which you can get rid of Lawn Grubs is to start a course of pesticides on your lawn or green space. You have the preconception that pesticides are harmful and artificial, and whilst this can certainly be the case, there do exist some natural and beneficial pesticides that we will share with you now.
Beneficial Nematodes
As natural as it gets, this pesticide utilizes a natural predator of the lawn grub in order to uproot them and remove them from your precious gardens and lawns.
Nematodes are small worms that live within the soil itself and will release bacteria all by themselves that will both infect and cause the lawn grubs to die. You can find these handy worms in both a liquid form and can call also find them sold within the water which can then be sprayed upon your garden.
Milky Spore
Similar in many ways to the nematodes, the milky spore is very good at treating lawn grubs. Utilizing a disease that can infect and then kill lawn grubs, the milky spore can work wonders against these critters.
As the grubs die, they will also release more spores that can find their way into the soil and can work to stop future infestations in their tracks.
Although it may not sound environmentally safe, we can assure you that it is and that it can make short work of a lawn grub problem.
Neem Oil
A botanical pesticide that contains insecticidal properties within it, neem oil acts as a way to repel both lawn grubs and the beetles that they will become (and in turn the eggs the grubs hatch from).
This oil will help to prevent the feeding, breeding, and overall growth of the critters and can be applied straight to the affected areas after diluting with water.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, lawn grubs can pose a real problem to a healthy and good-looking garden or lawn. Whether through the damages they can do by themselves, or the predators they can attract, there is plenty of reason to want rid of them – luckily natural pesticides and good timing can really nip the issues in the bud.
We hope this article is helpful in giving you some insight into what to use the get rid of lawn bugs, as well as some of the reasoning behind getting rid of these little blighters.