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A gardener has several options when it comes to lawn grub treatments to kill the fat white grubs that wreck havoc on lawns. Detecting the presence of the pests is the first step to controlling lawn grubs. The second is to apply the proper treatment based on your personal preferences. There are chemical and natural solutions for taking care of lawn grubs.
Detecting the Grubs
Unfortunately the visible que that lawn grub treatments need to be considered is when large, irregular sections of your yard turn brown and die. This generally will happen in late summer. The grass will have a tendency to peel away from the soil when lawn grubs are the culprit. To confirm that lawn grubs are there, you need to dig up small patches of your lawn. If you find more than four grubs per quarter square foot you will need to apply a treatment.
Lawn Grub Treatments to Choose From
Both chemical and natural solutions are available that will assist you in your efforts to rid your yard of the pests. Insecticides are quicker acting. Natural remedies work slower but year around. Which type of lawn grub treatments to use is a personal decision. Trichlorfon is the chemical that is the most effective in rescuing your lawn from grub damage. Products with trichlorfon as the active ingredient should be applied to the immediately after a watering in late summer or early fall. Application of these types of lawn grub treatments need to be immediately followed by another watering to get the trichlorfon to the grubs. Imidacloprid and halofenozide are two chemicals that can be applied as preventive lawn grub treatments in the early summer. Imidacloprid selectively disrupts the grubs nerves and halofenozide masquerades as an insect molting hormone that stimulates the grub to molt at the wrong time and die as a result. Purchasing only the amount you need and applying it according to the instructions on the label is highly recommended. Mid-June to the third week in July is the time to apply an Imidacloprid product. Halofenozide products are best applied between mid-June and mid-August.
Natural choices include milky spore, Neem oil and nematodes. Milky spore as a biological solution is sometime debated since it is not effective against all types of grubs. Spores applied to the area involved infect the grubs and kill them. The decomposed grub releases more spores which prevents re infestation. The use of Neem Oil is preventive as it repels the beetles that lay the eggs that the grubs hatch from. A bacteria that the tiny nematodes secrete is deadly to grubs. Mixing nematodes in water and spraying the infected area will set that process in motion. All three options are safe and environment friendly.
Although it is disheartening to see splotchy brown spots in your green lawn there are several things you can do to stop the grubs responsible for the damage. Each of the insecticide lawn grub treatments has specific times in the year to be effective. The natural remedies can be applied at any time and have no warnings attached.
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Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about pest and disease and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
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