This is the time in North Texas when people start spending more time outdoors, often working in their yards and landscape beds on our pretty weekends. Without fail, each spring, when people start turning their soil for spring planting, they find grub worms in their soil and become concerned that they have a major problem. In fact, the past few weeks we’ve received numerous phone calls and emails on this very subject.
First, being worried about grub worms (which are the larvae of June beetles) is a legitimate concern because they can cause major lawn damage in North Texas.
The thing to know is that grub worms have a three-year life cycle. For North Texas, that means the beetles lay their eggs in late spring to early summer, with the grub emerging in a few weeks. They start feeding pretty much instantly on the root system of your grass. The biggest problem is that you usually can’t see this damage until it is already done. Another problem with grubs is that armadillos love to eat them, and if you have armadillos around, they’ll start digging up your lawn to feed on the grubs causing even more damage.
If you have a grub problem, now is the time to protect your lawn. If you are a do-it-yourself type, make sure you use a product using Imidacloprid as the active ingredient. Don’t make the rookie mistake of picking up the first bag of Ortho or Bayer with an easier name that has a picture of a grub. Make the time to read and research the labels and make sure you get a product that has Imidacloprid which will create a barrier that prevents the grub worm from damaging your lawn.
If you are not the DIY type and would rather spend your time doing something else, contact Village Green. We offer affordable grub prevention treatments and are currently scheduling treatments in your neighborhood.
The thing to remember, whether you do it yourself or hire Village Green, is that Imidacloprid is a preventative against grub worms. It is NOT effective once they are actively feeding. You need to act now and treat before they become active.
Another question I often get from our customers is what they should do when they see grubs in their lawn or landscape in early spring. Does it mean they are already active? The answer is no. You’d be hard pressed to find a lawn in our area that doesn’t have some grub worms. They only become an issue when their numbers grow to the point where they can cause widespread destruction in late summer (it is impossible for them to grow their numbers to the point of damaging your lawn anytime but late summer in our area.) That is why you need to treat for them now in our area.
If you have any lawn or landscape questions give us a call at 972.495.6995 or email [email protected]. I love to answer your questions and often can share the information for our Quick Tip series that helps all Village Green customers.