My neighbor is overweight. Should I go on a diet?

A lawn service once told me I had grubs. They "proved" it by pointing out a spot where all the grass was dead. They gave me the spiel and I told them that the grass was dormant there because the sprinkler head broke. I said they could come back in a week and see whether it was still dead, but they insisted that leaving a lawn unwatered wouldn't cause it to go brown like that (and I'm in the desert) and that it had to be grubs.

Fixing the sprinkler head fixed my problem.

If I were in your shoes, I'd only treat for grubs if you find grubs, and even then, only if there are enough to cause a problem. If you don't have more than 10 grubs per sq ft, you don't need to treat.

I would think if he has grubs and you didn't treat for grubs in the early summers means you have 'em too. The question is, do you treat for 'em? Sounds like you don't have a big enough problem to treat 'em. Also, it's kind of late in the season and they're probably about done feeding and will move deeper into the soil. I would say not to treat.

I put down Milky Spore about 5 years ago and I still get grubs, so I'm not sure how much good it does.

Actually, your confession of having good turf is what the grubs prefer....lots of nice grass with lots of nice roots.
The grubs your neighbor says he has is probably not that many since there is nothing there to eat. He may have had grubs that turned his turf into what he`s got....lousy lawn...but its yours that pose a greater risk of having the little buggers.
I wouldn`t worry about it though....a simple test will prove out whether you need to concern yourself.
Cut a square measure of lawn on three sides, lift the lawn piece and survey what`s under it. Any sign of grubs.
If you find a grub....nothing to worry about...if you find 2 grubs, nothing to worry about....if you find a half dozen in that small area, then you have something to consider treatment should be begun --when its appropriate.
The grubs right now are deep down in their winter home....they get to go to Florida kind of....we have to stay around the winter...they will return in the late spring....that`s the time to get èm.

Thanks all. Over the summer when the lawn was looking a little crispy in spots I did cut two sections of grass to look for grubs and I didn't find a single one. So I don't think I had them in a problem number this past season. I hear you that my lawn next spring is going to be the filet mignon for those bad boys so maybe I'll just put down Milky Spore in the late spring. I just moved into the house about a year ago and I don;t know what the prior owner did in terms of Grub treatment. I know that he had a local gardner who took care of his lawn for him so its possible that the lawn already has a solid concentrate of Milky Spore already in it. Unless someone tells me that putting it down again next season will cause a problem, thats probably what I'm going to do.

Keep in mind that it's entirely possible that some lawn services give employees incentives to sell more products and services. Some are more interested in selling than in delivering what is really needed, so they'll find grub infestations where there are none.

Your neighbor may really have grubs, but I know that despite the terrible grub infestation that the lawn service told me I had, I've never found a grub in my lawn.

Treat problems that you have, but don't treat problems just because somebody has a boat payment to make.

There are a few things you should know about Milky Spore. First, there are several different species of grubs. Milky Spore is ONLY effective on Japanese Beetle Grubs. It will not work for any other species of grubs. Secondly, in order for Milky Spore Disease to build up to levels needed to control Japanese Beetle Grubs, there must be an active population of this species present at the time of the application. The Milky Disease can only reproduce and multiply in the soil through the infecting of the grubs that are present. If no Japanese Beetle Grubs are present at the time of the application, the product will dissipate quickly in the soil, as it will not be able to reproduce. The best way to be sure to prevent and address ALL species of grubs, is by applying a preventative called 'Merit' containing the active ingredient 'Imidicloprid'. I am a Turfgrass Specialist, and have been in the industry for the past 24 years. I am more than happy to answer any and all questions that anyone may have regarding anything having to do with lawn care, lawn insects, lawn disease, cultural practices, and how to identify any and all things lawn related.

Here is a link that might be useful: Turf Care Enterprises Inc

Why are they coming on my porch not out of the larva yet