Lawn grubs are notorious for loving warm weather, and from the recent heat we have seen they are out in force. They are generally most active in South East Queensland from October till as late as May but can be found year-round. The adult lawn armyworm takes the form of a grey-ish brown moth with a wingspan of 35 to 40mm. Early detection and treatment are vital if you want to maintain a lawn that is in a good, healthy state.
Fortunately, there are several tell-tale signs that will let you know if you have a grub infestation on your hands. During the Spring lawns really start to come back to life and produce thicker, greener leaves. You may see brown patches that will not have grass growing in them, so you can try to lift the dead brown grass and if it lifts and you can see that there are no longer roots then you know that they have been eaten. Sometimes you can pull up entire sections as if you were removing a wig. The leaf blade itself will have little chunks out of it where the grubs have been munching away. Other signs to keep an eye out for include white moths flying around as it gets later in the day and egg sacs on your house, eaves, fences, and furniture.
You will also notice increased bird activity on your lawn as the grubs make a great snack for them. A spongey lawn can also be a good indicator of grub activity.
There are 2 ways to find out for sure and confirm that you may have lawn grubs:
- First is to lay a wet, white towel on your lawn overnight. In the morning when you lift it up you will see if anything has come to the surface.
- Secondly, you can mix up a bucket of soapy water and pour it over the edge of an affected area. Keep an eye out and after about 10 minutes if there is grubs they will usually start to make their way to the surface.
Identifying that you have grubs is the first process. Now is when you need to know how to fix the problem and there is one sure way to help eradicate them. Keeping on top of your lawn maintenance regime including watering, mowing, fertilising and weed control is a start. We recommend Acelepryn GR Turf Insecticide because we have found it to be very effective in our paddocks. Some preventative granular mixes only last approximately 7-10 days, which means they need to be re-applied multiple times to break the cycle, whereas Acelepryn GR provides effective protection against insect damage to lawns for up to 6 months, so you will be able to treat your lawn year-round with 2 applications.
Acelepryn GR Turf Insecticide is a selective insecticide designed for maximum effectiveness against lawn pest but also minimises any effect to the environment and is beneficial to earthworms and bees. It is effective in controlling lawn pests including Webworm, Armyworm, Billbugs, Argentinian Scarab, Cutworm, Argentine Stem Weevil, African Black Beetle. For excellent preemptive results apply in Mid-September. When applied from Mid-December to deal with existing damage, a higher application rate needs to be used as per the instructions. It is best to apply your pesticide in the late afternoon or early evening and to leave for 3 days before mowing. Using granular products like Acelepryn GR you will need to water it in to get it down to the roots and soil.
For more information and handy tips to prevent Lawn Grubs head to https://alcturf.com.au/lawn-grubs-pests/ or speak to one of our friendly staff on 1800 767 644.