The Dirt on Grub Worms

August 01st, 2013

Anyone who spends time puttering around in the yard or garden is likely to have come across a white grub or two. They’re those plump, wormy creatures that tend to be curled up in a “C” shape when you find them in the soil. These are the larvae of the Japanese beetle, and they can mean trouble for your lawn. White grubs can measure anywhere from 1/2 to 1 1/4 inches long, with a brownish-red head. Their upper body features six short legs, so they’re easily identifiable.

Life Cycle of a Grub Worm

Understanding the grub life cycle is an important factor in controlling them. A grub worm begins its life around July, when the mother beetle deposits about 60 eggs in the soil. After only about two weeks, the eggs hatch, and the baby grubs get right to work feeding. If the eggs happen to have been laid in your yard, the roots of your grass become their smorgasbord. You probably won’t notice much damage at this point, but this is the time when they’re most susceptible to methods to control them.

They continue feeding throughout the summer, and you may begin to see the damage right before they start burrowing to lower depths where they will remain dormant through winter. In the spring they begin feeding again for a short time, then go into their pupal stage for one to three weeks. They emerge as adult beetles, burrow out of the ground, look for a mate, and the cycle begins again.

Controlling White Grubs

Most standard methods of pest control are ineffective against grub infestations because they spend most of their lives at depths out of reach of biological and chemical applications. To ensure that you’ve got the best shot at getting rid of the critters, you have to hit them at the right time.

That’s why you should depend on a professional pest control service. They know the ins and outs of grub habits, and they can treat your yard so that those vermin are good and gone!