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The Grub Conspiracy

June 24, 2020 | Julie Kane

As Cicero warned his fellow senators of the threat brewing within the walls of Rome, so we now warn you of similar threat to your lawn.  Of course, the cabal that history refers to as the Catiline’s Conspiracy aiming to destroy of Rome lead by a handful of dissidents in the Roman senate is not on par with the destruction of your lawn.  Nevertheless, deep in the soils of your yard lurks a potential threat that has yet to reveal itself- GRUBS.

The most insidious things about the havoc that grubs can wreak on turf areas is that you can’t see it coming.  All the nefarious deeds are done below the soil.  While your lawn may look great now, grubs can be below the surface, eating away at the roots of your grass and disrupting the water and nutrient supplies that help maintain a healthy lawn.  And, unfortunately, as soon as you start to see the signs of grub destruction, it is already too late.  Brown and yellow patches are the sure sign that your lawn is being destroyed by a grub infestation, at which point your lawn’s root system is in total decay. grubs-turf damage 001

Right around late spring to early summer, mature beetles burrow their way into the ground to lay eggs.  In late summer and early spring, those eggs hatch.  The young grubs feed on your lawn’s root system, storing up nutrients for their winter hibernation.  In early spring, the grubs emerge from their slumber, as adult beetles, to roam the land waiting for their turn to continue the life cycle in early summer.

Luckily, there is a preventative option.  Applying grub control in early summer targets the grubs as they are hatching. When the grubs ingest the grub control, they are reduced to the roll of lawn fertilizer. Good grub control targets only the grubs and does not harm beneficial, soil-dwelling insects like earth worms.

Kane Landscapes includes grub control in all its basic Lawn Care packages and will begin Grub Control Applications this week.  

By: Justin Hill; Office Manager