While you’re out digging in your garden or getting reacquainted with your lawn after a long winter, there may be a pest hanging out with you, just below the surface. Learn the signs a common lawn grub leaves behind and what preventative grub control options you have to help ensure the health of your grass and plants.

Signs of a Grub Infestation

Grubs are the larvae of various types of beetles that lay dormant deep in the soil over the winter and resurface in the spring. While you may not see the beetles till summer, there are other signs of grubs to take notice of now:

• Brown patches. As grubs feed on the grass roots below the surface, you’ll notice the dead grass results across your lawn.
• Patches easily detach. If you tug on these brown patches and they easily pull away from the soil, they’re no longer fully rooted to the ground.
• White, C-shaped grubs. When you pull these patches away, you may catch the culprits in the act.
• Flocks of birds. If you notice more birds pecking at your lawn, chances are they’re after the grubs.

Seeing a few grubs may not be the end of your lush lawn completely, but you’ll want to consider preventative measures to help stop the spread. Plus, the less grubs you have, the less beetles you’ll have next season.

Preventative Grub Control

The life cycle of a grub starts in late summer or early fall when they hatch from eggs laid in the soil. This is when they begin feeding on grass roots and don’t stop until colder temperatures drive them deeper underground to spend the winter. When they resurface in the spring, they resume feeding until they emerge as adult beetles in the summer. But there are ways you can stop them.

1. Preventative treatments. Timing depends on the specific product you’re using and the climate. Treatments are more effective when applied in late spring to early summer, before newly hatched grubs begin feeding.
2. Aerate. Help improve soil drainage and reduce thatch to create an environment better for root growth and less desirable for grubs.
3. Proper lawn care. The healthier your lawn, the stronger it will be against any grubs, pests, or disease. Maintain a proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing schedule to promote strong grass growth, making it less susceptible to infestations.

Let Green Image Lawn Care Help Maintain Your Yard

Whether you’ve already spotted grub activity or want to prevent it altogether, Green Image Lawn Care can help you plan a proactive approach that combines proper lawn care practices with targeted preventative measures. Prevention is better than corrective! At Green Image Lawn Care, we’re always striving to be industry leaders in our process and products. For this reason, we have eliminated the use of neo nicotine base products. Although we are not required to, we desire to provide the best environment and safety for our customers and technicians. If your lawn care company has not done so, demand they do! Help safeguard your lawn against damage and enjoy a lush, vibrant yard year-round.