Stirling, Bonnybridge, Denny, Kincardine, Larbert, Falkirk, Redding, Maddiston, Polmont, Bo'ness, Linlithgow & Winchburgh, Scotland
Lawn Insect Pest Control
Two insect-pests known to cause damage to lawns are chafer grubs and leatherjackets. In both cases, we can help you stop the damage to your lawn with an effective pest control solution. There are currently no pesticides for chafer grubs or lawn leatherjackets which can be applied by home gardeners but The Green Green Grass Company has access to specialist treatments not available to the general public.
Please read on for more information about how we can help you solve the problem of chafer grubs or leatherjackets. First, we will tell you a bit more about chafer grubs and how their presence can lead to your lawn becoming damaged.
Chafer Grubs Damage to Lawns
Grub Appearance
The grubs have a creamy white shrimp like appearance with 3 sets of legs and brown mouth parts. They are the size of a twenty pence piece and live just below the surface eating the roots of your grass
The eggs the laid in the spring and then hatch the grubs who then will eat the roots of your grass. The chafer grub will continue to eat your grass until they hibernate in the winter
How to spot if you have grubs?
Obvious signs are things like turf browning. The damaged areas can increase in size if the grubs are allowed to continue to feed on your lawn. The damage can spread very fast if left untreated.
Birds swarming on your lawn and pecking the surface is another tell tale sign of grubs as they are a popular food source for both birds and foxes.
How to Control Chafer Grubs in your Lawn
Treatment is really quite simple and inexpensive. The relevant pesticide must be applied by a professional. Once applied it should be effective within 72 hours. Green Green Grass has treated many lawns with grub damage by stopping the damage increasing and also treating the cause.
For more information see https://gardening.which.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/115000658109-Chafer-grubs
Pest control for leatherjackets
Leatherjackets are the grubs or larvae of flies commonly known as daddy-longlegs or crane flies. Several species of leatherjacket can live in the soil under your grass, damaging the roots and, left unchecked, they have the ability to strip entire lawns. It is therefore important that you take appropriate steps quickly to get rid of this insect pest.
If you think your lawn might be affected by leatherjackets, The Green Green Grass Company can advise you and then take the necessary measures to solve the problem.
What are the signs to look out for?
Yellow/brown patches form on your lawn and the grass often dies in these areas. You can confirm whether leatherjackets are responsible by looking for these grubs in the soil under the affected turf. If patches of grass do die off, weeds or moss will often take hold, which is an additional problem.
To check for the presence of leatherjackets, you could also try drenching a section of your lawn with water and covering it with a piece of light-blocking material like a black bin bag. If you lift the material the next day and see a lot of grubs on the surface of the lawn beneath, the likelihood is they are leatherjackets.
Certain birds like starlings, magpies and crows seek out leatherjackets under grass. The birds probe their beaks into the turf, leaving small holes. You can look out for birds flocking to your lawn and for the holes their beaks leave in the turf. Birds will also search for chafer grubs in a similar manner.
How do we control leatherjackets on your lawn?
The Green Green Grass Company can:
- spray a highly effective liquid insecticide on to your lawn to control the larvae. One or two treatments in either spring or autumn should be enough. It is much better to catch the infestation early before too much damage is done.
- Alternatively, as a preventative measure, we can spread a granular version of the treatment on your lawn during the summer.
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