It does to me. From what I have read imidacloprid is the best preventer for home use, so look for that as the active ingredient.

I have had very, very good results with GrubX.....I assume, but do not know, that Bayer has the same properties.

But there's this chemical out there, that works for a year. In my experience, this isn't correct: it works for two years. GrubX has it, perhaps Bayer does as well.

So it doesn't matter when you put it down.

When I lived in Michigan, I never had grubs, nor treated for grubs. But I could have sworn that what little bit I heard and saw was to the fact that grubs need to be prevented rather than killed. I think the saying was something along the lines of, "Once you know you have them, it's too late." Therefore, treatment should be done late fall or early spring.

Maybe they've come out with some new stuff since then. Either way, good luck. I remember they can be a huge PITA.

Imidicloprid is the active ingredient in Grub-X. It was developed by Bayer, so I am sure they use it also, but when I was looking for a bag the other day the only Bayer product I could find used Dylox, which I gather is far more toxic to earthworms and other beneficials in the soil.

So I second the Grub-X recommendation.

But whatever you get, stay away from Spectracide's "Triazicide." It is labeled for grub control because it kills grubs in the lab, but apparently in the real world it binds with the upper layers of soil and never gets to the grubs.

Whoa, I just searched for the info I read on triazicide last year to confirm it and found this article, which is Michigan specific! The language sounds so familiar I'm pretty sure the article was updated from a previous version, but whatever, I hope it helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: grub control in michigan

P.S., Jonathan Green's grub control product uses imidacloprid, and since I could not find Grub-x locally (I swear it was here just last week....) and didn't want to use the Bayer dylox concoction I found, I bought the JG. I think it should work just as well as the grub-x, and now am just looking for the right short term weather forecast so I can get it down in time to let nature water it in for me.

Hi Brizzy,

Yes, I think the advice to "prevent" (meaning to kill the young ones) rather than kill (the established ones) is excellent, but I think someone gave you the wrong timing. These things hatch in late summer, and then you see the damage in fall and, to a lesser extent, spring. By the time you notice the damage in fall they have started migrating deeper into the soil and have stopped feeding on the grass roots, so it becomes very hard to kill them then, and besides, most of the damage has already been done so killing them is kind of pointless except maybe for the soothing balm of vengeance...

They can do some additional damage in the spring when they come back up to feed a little more before turning into beetles and flying away, but spring damage is nothing like fall damage, and anyway at this time they are monster grubs and very hard to kill. The junkyard dog with the spiked collar. Just walk away...

So the best time to get them is when they have just hatched, are tiny and vulnerable, and near the top of the soil. That is late summer, and that is what the "preventatives" like imidacloprid were designed to do. They call it "season long" control because if you kill them then, there just won't be any fall or spring damage because there won't be any grubs, or at least they will be few enough for the grass to tolerate.

Paul,

Thanks for the info. That is the exact article I read and learned when to apply, early July. Then I read somewhere that somebody did apply in the first week of July but still got damage and he was wondering if he should have applied earlier...

What I don't know is if I applied early and water it in, without any young grubs in ground, whether grub killer will be washed away or will stay there and work on grubs when grubs come. I don't see any beetles yet and I guess I got to see them first then they will lay eggs in ground.

It should also be noted that grub controls MUST to be immediately watered in (or rained on) with .5 inch of water so that the sun does not break them down and render them ineffective.

Oh, I see. Just from what I have read I think you should be fine going a little early. The bag I have says you can put it down as early as April, which seems to be pushing it to me, and maybe especially for you up there in Michigan. But from what I gather the stuff is slow to break down and going a few weeks early shouldn't make much difference. Besides, I would think the manufacturers would be reluctant to make application recommendations that would result in their product failing to work.

I'm sure others here would disagree, but if you are worried you could consider putting it down at a slightly heavier rate. The only reason I say this is because my bag gives one application rate for the control of grubs, and a somewhat higher rate for controlling mole crickets. The more you put down the more toxic to the earthworms, but otherwise I don't see how going a little heavy would be a problem so long as you don't exceed the maximum recommended rate.

Just thinking out loud, hope that helps.
Paul