Grubs are beetle larve that are white, about half an inch long, and have soft bodies with legs near their heads. They feast on the roots of your grass, resulting in the annihilation of large sections of your lawn. Little grubs grow up to be adult beetles, which reproduce and have more little grubs, continuing to destroy your grass. In other words, these aren't the most handsome creatures in the world, and definitely not specimens you want showing up in your lawn.

Is Your Lawn Infested with Grubs?

If your lawn has brown patches of grass, or if you can easily pull up sod from the ground, you may have grubs. Watch your lawn during the day or just before sundown — Japanese beetles fly around during the day, chomping on your ornamentals, and chafer beetles are active just before sundown. If you have a large infestation of grubs, you'll be able to see them when you pull up your sod. 

How to Get Rid of Grubs

Eliminating grubs is not easy and can literally take years. If you’re committed to going the natural route to kill these critters, you can purchase nematodes from a nursery. These parasites will invade the bodies of grubs and kill them. But this route requires patience — it can take up to three years for nematodes to amass a large enough population to eliminate your grubs.

You can also try milky spore, a powder that you can purchase at your local home improvement or gardening store. When spread over your lawn, milky spore will create a bacteria that kills grubs. But again, you’ll have to wait a few years for enough spores to develop to kill the grubs in your lawn.

If we happen to get a summer drought in Western North Carolina, you can take advantage of it by not watering your lawn for a few weeks; the combination of heat and no moisture will dry out and kill the grubs' eggs, which will lessen next year’s production of larvae. Of course, your lawn will dry out as well during this time. If it’s healthy, it should come back to life once you begin watering it again.

The fastest way to get rid of grubs is by applying a curative insecticide containing carbaryl and trichlorfon to your lawn. A curative insecticide will kill immature larvae and should be applied in late summer or early fall when young grubs are feeding.

You can also apply a preventative grub control containing halofenozide or imidacloprid to reduce the risk of your lawn being affected. Just keep in mind that these insecticides will not stop grubs that are already alive and eating your grass.

As with any chemical treatments, be sure the follow instructions on packaging exactly and keep them away from children and pets.

If you don’t want to wait for years or deal with messy, time-consuming chemical treatments to get rid of grubs, call TPS! Now through June 30, 2020, we’re offering FREE Grub Control Application when you sign up for a 7-step Turf Care Program! (Cost is based on square footage of your lawn. Minimum price $45.)