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Chafer Grubs
They attack grass roots. Grass growth slows and yellow patches
appear. Grass is easily pulled up, with little or no root
growth.
Wildlife, such as foxes and badgers, can also
create a lot of damage as they dig up your lawn in search of grubs
for food.
Rooks, magpies, crows and woodpeckers feeding
on your lawn are a good sign of a chafer grub infestation.
Chafer beetles emerge from the lawn. They lay
their eggs, which hatch into grubs feeding on the grass roots
before burrowing deep into the ground. They then lie dormant deep
in the soil before moving to the surface in the spring to emerge as
beetles again.
There is no chemical control for chafer
grubs.
If the chafer's life cycle is not broken
re-infestation occurs and the problem gets progressively
worse.
Use Nemasys Chafer grub Killer to deal with a
chafer grub infestation
Go
to www.chafersurvey.co.uk
to take part in a survey to identify where chafer grub hotspots are
found in the UK.
Chafer Grub Killer
Apply to moist lawns during August and
early September. This is when the young grub larvae are active and
the temperature is above 12ºC (54ºF).
Immediately after applying the
nematodes, water the grass well so the nematodes are washed into
the soil to reach the roots where the chafer grubs will be. Make
sure the lawn does not dry out after applying nematodes. Keep the
lawn well watered for at least two weeks.
Do not apply later than September, since
the grubs start to move down deeper in the soil and become inactive
until the following spring.
The nematodes (Heterorhabditis
megidis) seek out the chafer grubs and attack the pest by
entering natural body openings. Once inside, they release bacteria
that stops the pest from feeding, quickly killing the pest. They do
not stop there. The nematodes reproduce inside the dead pest and
release a new generation of hungry infective nematodes, which
disperse and search for further prey.
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