joec@u1100a.UUCP (Joe Carfagno) (10/17/85)
>Help, I have Grub's in my lawn.
Having dug up and reseeded a large section of lawn due to grub damage
this year, I have done some research on the subject.
Several chemical insecticides will kill grubs. Oftanol seems to be
the most widely recommended by knowledgable folks here in NJ. It,
like the other chemical ones, needs to be watered in - that's how it
gets to the ugly little things below the ground. Oftanol starts to work
quickly, usually completely in 30 days, and has a 6-8 month residual effect.
Because of the residual, it can be applied any time, although spring (last
year's grubs awakening from winter slumber) and summer (this year's
newborns - grubs are Japanese Beetle babies) are best.
Other chemicals are tradenamed Dursban and Diazinon. Both have much
stricter application times. I have used Oftanol with much success.
As with most chemical insecticides, you need to be careful in their
handling and application. You also need to apply the stuff every year
since Japanese Beetles will lay their eggs in your lawn every summer.
There is a product from Reuters Lab. called Grub Attack. It consists of
the Milky Spore bacterium. You spread this stuff on the lawn, and when the
grubs eat the roots, they get Milky Spore disease and die. Before that,
they spread millions of more spore through their excretions. This is
how the spores spread throughout the lawn. It takes 2 to 3 YEARS to
become fully effective - then you won't have another grub problem for
15 to 20 YEARS. It is more expensive than chemicals at first. You can
spend ~$80/year/10K ft2 for chemicals like I did, or $150 for Milky
Spore. You still need to spread chemicals for 2 years while the spore
takes effect, or the grubs will eat up our lawn. I have also heard, but
can not verify, that the chemicals may kill the spore.
You have a choice but a bit of advice - TREAT FOR THE GRUBS !!!
They found my front lawn to be very delicious this summer. Now, I have
major bare spots which are being reseeded. They eat the roots and the
whole sod patch comes off like a banana peel. I also have an occasional
mole/groundhog problem because they like the tasty critters.