Avoid mowing or walking on newly planted or sprouted grass until it has established and grows at least 6 inches high. To repair damage caused by chafer grubs, you can either: Turf the area. Add an inch of fresh topsoil. They emerge from the soil – where the grub has been feeding on roots for most of the year – in mid June depending upon seasonal fluctuations. Most well-maintained lawns have them and aren’t negatively affected. As if I was there doing it all for you! Chafer Beetle Prevention Tips. Water is essential to the health of your lawn but keep watering to a minimum during the summer months. First, small irregular patches of a lawn will appear brown, dry and wilted. The European chafer does not generally cause damage to lawns or other vegetation at this time. Grub counts from six to 10 or more per square foot can damage and kill grass. Plants located on sandy sites are have more chances of being attacked as rose chafers prefer sandy soil to lay eggs. It works best as a new planting, rather than inter-seeding with existing lawn. It is best to repair your grub-damaged lawn in the fall or early spring to restore it to its green glory. Now it’s time to prepare the ground for laying new turf. Kit Arbuckle is a freelance writer specializing in topics such as health, alternative medicine, beauty, senior care, pets and landscaping. Longer blades of grass encourage deeper, healthier rooting and a less ideal environment for beetles, grubs and weeds. If you live in rural areas, you might also start to find molehills appearing as they look for food. Some people opt to keep their lawns and some switch to alternatives. If this is the case, follow these instructions; If you’ve had an infestation of Chafer Grubs the first thing you should do is scarify your lawn. Follow the package directions for the amount to use to cover your entire lawn. Although Chafer Grubs can damage the grass, it’s often not them themselves that cause the most destruction. However, the grubs – which are the larvae of the Chafer Beetle – can be as destructive as a bored child. Chafer Beetle Prevention Tips While European chafer beetles are a very common problem in Vancouver, Coquitlam, New Westminster and other parts of the Lower Mainland, there are several tips you can follow for chafer beetle control in the future: Aerate your lawn in spring and fall. Removal of soil from a site infested with chafer grubs is not recommended, as this may accelerate the spread of the European chafer grubs in the region. Damage: Adult garden chafers do not cause any significant damage to the plants that they feed on. Lay the sod over the area and water until it is established. Read: How to Scarify Your Lawn From Start to Finish. BettleGone or GrubGone (Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae) applications during beetle flight and egg laying. Some people opt to keep their lawns and some switch to alternatives. Keep grass between 6 – 10 cm high when mowing. Although Chafer beetle damage is easier to spot in winter and summer due to brown patches that the beetles leave behind, chafer beetles can continue to feed on your lawn all year. Choose a grass seed that matches your current lawn. When these beetle species has infested your lawn, the grasses would appear spongy and even wilted. So it’s important to overseed with a good quality grass seed. In Michigan, the European chafer is now common through all of the Lo… White grubs are the larva, or young, of several kinds of beetles. This is the result of Chafer larvae causing damage by eating the roots of the grass. Female beetles burrow into the soil during the summer. Keep turning the soil over each day for a couple of weeks to expose as many Chafer Grubs as possible. If you find more than 5-10 grubs per section, you may have an infestation to treat. Removal of soil from a site infested with chafer grubs is not recommended, as this may accelerate the spread of the European chafer grubs in the region. This will control Chafer Grub numbers and stop them from getting out of hand in the first place. Mow grass between 2.5”-3” cm. Keeping the grass relatively high during the summer is good practice anyway as it improves drought tolerance. Lawns which sustain damaged this severe during the winter will take a long time to recover. The European Chafer (Rhizotrogus majalis) and Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) are two of the most common. They include chlorantraniliproe (Acelepryn), clothianidin (Arena), imidacloprid (Merit), halofenozide (MACH2) and thiamethoxam (Meridian). Before you repair your lawn, treat any grub infestation using beneficial nematodes or pesticides allowed in your area. Chafer Grub attacks are very unpredictable. Damage caused by white grubs initially resembles drought stress. They’re part of the natural balance of living organisms that inhabit your turf. Here to stay The European chafer beetle is here to stay so let’s not despair. But I wasn’t able to do […] Grubs, or immature chafer beetles, feed on the roots of grass leaving damaged patches. For homeowners who are already experiencing Chafer Beetle damage or are at high risk of infection because of a thinning or patchy lawn, we recommend starting over by installing a new sod lawn. However, larvae of the stag beetle are always associated with dead wood, usually tree roots and can reach 11 cm long (nearly 4 inches). After a few weeks, your lawn should be back to its former glory. The European chafer does not generally cause damage to lawns or other vegetation at this time. Garden and Welsh Chafer Grubs are typically between 10mm – 15mm long and you’ll see them lay in the soil under the turf in a ‘C’ shape. The presence of a few Chafer Grubs in your lawn shouldn’t cause you to panic. Here are a few ways to prevent Chafer Grub invasions; Good lawn care practices are the best way to prevent Chafer Grub invasions. Typical damage on flower blossoms from rose chafer. The European chafer is a very serious grub pest of turf and can cause more turf damage than the Japanese beetle. At this point, the European chafer beetle is not a common lawn problem in Minnesota—lawn damage is more likely to be caused by Japanese beetle grubs or other issues. Keep grass between 6 – 10 cm high when mowing. Tan-colored chafer beetles are active just after sundown; Japanese beetles can be seen flying during the day, feeding on ornamentals. You’ve seen the damage that can be done as a result of a Chafer Grub infestation and you’ve spent time and money repairing or replacing your lawn. In the borders, they are happy to eat the roots of younger plants, and the damage can often be mistaken for the similar symptoms of vine weevil beetle. To repair damaged lawns: Lightly rake over damaged turf areas to remove the thatch and debris. The European chafer beetle isn’t leaving our West Coast landscapes anytime soon so we fight. Yellow patches of grass could be caused by other things so if you see it, don’t automatically assume it’s Chafer Grubs. To repair damaged lawns: Lightly rake over damaged turf areas to remove the thatch and debris. The grubs are the damaging stage. If you leave it as it is, weeds and moss will likely inhabit these areas instead of grass. Fertilize and overseed your turf to encourage a healthy, dense lawn. Follow the manufacturer's operating instructions. Chafer beetle infestations can be extremely damaging to lawns. The European chafer, Rhizotrogus majalis, is native to western and central Europe. In fact, I have re-turfed several lawns as a result of bad Chafer Grub invasions. When it comes to repairing the damage caused by Chafer Grubs, my preferred method is to replace the lawn completely. Leave the soil open for a day or so and the birds will come and eat the Chafer Grubs. Granted, it sounds like something out of a horror film but the fact is, it works. Cleaning the turfs in your law regularly is one way to prevent them from getting damaged. The beetles themselves don’t cause any damage at all to your lawn. Check the package for the rate of seed per square foot. We are reader-supported: © 2020 GardenSeeker.com. University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Lawn Insects, University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Replant with Seed, Sod, Sprigs, Stolons, Plugs, University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: How to Apply Fertilizer, University of California Green Bulletin: Diagnosing Lawn Disorders, University of California Integrated Pest Management Program: Planting Times and Rates for Grasses that can be Established from Seed, Cornell University: A Grub's Life, Egg to Beetle. Remove dead grass with a rake. Cover the seeded areas with a thin layer of straw to protect the seeds from the sun and pests. We all like bowling green lawns but the fact is, beetles don’t like long grass. In the worst cases, Foxes, Hedgehogs and Badgers will dig into your lawn to eat them. This generally means smoothing the area as best as possible and then overseeding . Unlike with overseeding which can take weeks of waiting, watering, and weeding as new grass slowly fills in, a new sod lawn can be installed quickly. The City is managing Chafer beetle infestations in priority areas, such as parks and greenways, following the best management practices outlined above. If you can find a turf supplier who is lifting turf, it can be a quick way to fix the lawn. What is the life cycle of the European chafer? Keep the soil moist for approximately two weeks until the seed grows. Read: How to Lay Turf Like a Pro, Step-by-Step. If your lawn has been ruined as a result of Chafer Grubs, take a picture and send it in. The adult beetles are active at dusk and can be seen clumsily walking across lawns. The University of Minnesota has a great information on lawn problems. Keeping the grass on the high side and applying Ferrous Sulphate will improve the grass’s tolerance to drought and keep it green. The cheapest fix. Stag beetles are uncommon and cause no damage in gardens and should be welcomed. Measure the damaged areas. If parts of your lawn turn yellow, remove a small section of turf and if it’s full of grubs, then you’ve got a problem. However, there currently are no known populations of Japanese beetle in California. The adults breed through the early Summer and lay eggs in your lawn, which hatch in mid- … The clover fixes nitrogen, which acts as a natural fertilizer for the fescue resulting in greener, lusher growth. Infestations can be extremely damaging to lawns or other vegetation at this time from establishing how do! 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