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| Photo Credit: ©2004 Buglady Consulting |
| Grubs can make a feast out of turf roots. |
For anyone who has a lawn, pests can be a major concern. One of the most common turf pests is actually a group called “white grubs.”
These white grubs are the immature life stage of many different Scarab beetle species. Most of the time people blame Japanese beetles, but in actuality, they’re just a small part of the grub population. The reason they get blamed is because the adults are out during the day, where most of these other beetle species fly at night, not to be seen. Identifying characteristicsWhite grubs can vary greatly in size, depending on species, from a ¼ inch to the size of your thumb. They tend to stay curled up in a “c” shape and are white to cream in color. They have brown heads and six legs. Biology
| Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Grubs have large chewing mouthparts. | | Spot-treating: Only treating an area where the pest is present. |
Depending on the species, most adult beetles come crawling out of the lawn in late spring/early summer. The adults mate and deposit their eggs back into the soil. Some of the adults, like the Japanese beetle and green June bug, feed on plants. Others, like the European chafer, don’t feed at all as adults.
Once the eggs hatch, they start to feed until cooler temperatures drive them down into the soil profile so they can overwinter. Plant injury symptomsMost of these grubs feed on the roots of grass, cutting off the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients. This results in yellowing or browning of the turf , making the grass easy to pull up. Additional damage can occur when mammals like skunks, birds or even moles dig up the lawn looking for these grubs to feed on.
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