Spring Grub Damage

What should I do? And how to treat!

Homeowners during the spring and fall months all over the State of Maine are realizing that Grubs are here to stay and will continue to be a nuisance for years to come.

What you should be looking for:

• The lawn looks totally roto-tilled from birds, skunks, raccoons and other animals. Grubs are a good food source for them and we all tend to wonder if the crow population is growing larger because of all the abundant food for them.
•  Simply grab the grass blades in your fist and pull up. If it pulls up easily there is a good chance you can find the grubs laying under the sod.

So, what can be done if you have grubs?

First, call the Quality Lawn Service office and we will visit your property to assess the damage and discuss possible options with you. The 2 most common grubs in your soil will either be the European Chaffer or the Japanese Beetle. The important thing to note is, if you have had damage in your lawn or have seen damage in your neighbor’s lawns you should be protecting your lawn with a preventative treatment. Now the safest solution is to apply a preventative treatment sometime in June – July. Please don’t be fooled by over the counter products that claim immediate grub control – this is a waste of money. You cannot apply this late in the fall if you have grubs and expect it to work. Once the grubs have grown in size, they will be almost unaffected by the treatment. After they winter over and come back to the soil surface to feed again in the spring – they are even bigger! After you understand the reasons why you have grubs and make a plan to protect against another infestation later in the season, you then need to move on to the re-seeding aspect. You can schedule our aeration and over seeding service at Quality Lawn Services. You may luck out and not have to do any re-seeding especially if the birds, skunks and raccoons haven’t found your lawn in the first place and the grubs haven’t eaten the roots to the point of killing your grass. If that is the case, make sure that Quality Lawn Services is fertilizing your lawn and keeping an eye on what’s going on. Your grass plants will need to recover from the damage and build new roots.

Remember we are only a phone call away. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be happy to schedule a visit and explain things to you.