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Contact Information: Emerald Turf Farm |
Grub worms are the most serious insect problem in the Ohio River Valley. These are the larval stages of the Japanese Beetle. Japanese Beetles are the brown beetles about the size of the end of your little finger, that hit your windshield and the screens of your house in the summer time. Around mid June, about 9:00 to 10:00 at night, is when they are usually their thickest. This is mating season and soon the females will be flying over our turf laying eggs, the next generation of grubs. If you need to apply an insecticide; the third week of August is the best time to apply, because you will control the new generation of grubs before they have a chance to significantly damage turf. Grub worms burrow under the turf about 1" and devour the roots in its path. Severely damaged turf can be picked up like a cheap toupee Chemical controls are not recommended until grub worm populations approach 10 to 15 per SQ. FT. Prevailing conditions, like available moisture tend to limit populations of grubs to confined areas. The problem with unwarranted applications of chemicals, is that they tend to upset a delicate balance that exists in the soil. And soil is really an ecosystem in every sense of the word. Earthworms help to control excessive thatch formation in turf and they are adversely effected by insecticides and other chemicals. Everything is inter-related. The closer you approach to perfection in turf, the harder it is to achieve, with accompanying cost that grows geometrically.
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