What has worked for you? They are damaging my yard. The only bug we see an unusual amount of the last few years is the Japanese beetle, which is when the grub issue started. We spot kill the beetles, and have a bucket of water out that some get caught in and die as well. Ive tried a few seasonal store bought granule grub killers in a lawn spreader. I even tried an expensive white powder I cant remember the name of, some kind of spore, but after using it I read that if used in a place that freezes hard in the winter , it wont last. Looking for tips.
Japanese beetle:
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 07-17-2018).]
Throw some bird seed on the lawn to train the birds to eat there. Theyll find the bugs. If those beetles nest in the soil, aerate and throw more of the powder down the holes.
What I reccommend : use the pheromone traps to catch the adults (they are *REALLY* effective, they get lured in and completely fill up the bag. Milky spore takes awhile to work, you may want to try a few different things, but make sure the other stuff doesn’t affect the milky spore! I think nemeotodes and rose powder (if you have rose bushes) work.
Kill adults, make their food unappetizing , kill the grubs.
Armadillos....... Run a herd of armadillos in there. They'll clear them grubs out!
Lol, then he'll complain about the rooting. I prefer to mow with minimal treatment and watering. If it can't survive, I didn't want it. I actually have a pretty good lawn going, lots of shade in my north texas 3/4 acre. Typically unwatered lawns in this area stop growing around this time of year, mine needs a cut right now!
Sadly that answer is often bad in the long run... Any general pesticides spayed on a big area, organic or otherwise, May work or not to kill "grubs" but kills many bugs you want/need too.
Birds may not eat them either depending on bug at hand. Even when some birds eat bugs, Local birds may hate it. More so when you have invasive bugs from ______ country/region.
Maybe Dig a few up and take them live to Co-op Extension in the area. or try https://ask.extension.org/ If can't find it in FAQ then Ask a Q at top.
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
Lol, then he'll complain about the rooting. I prefer to mow with minimal treatment and watering. If it can't survive, I didn't want it. I actually have a pretty good lawn going, lots of shade in my north texas 3/4 acre. Typically unwatered lawns in this area stop growing around this time of year, mine needs a cut right now!
In Texas you probably use a different type of grass than we do. I've been thinking about spreading seed of a more drought tolerant breed, it would have to be ok with all the other weather changes we get though.
Treating the grubs is my main issue. We really only have two bushes the bugs seem to like eating, and controlling that part isn't too bad. But we have neighbors and of course cant control how well they take care of things.
I guess just application of this in April and August? I tried it one year, Maybe I have to just keep on doing it.