Get a skunk?

o j

First of all....what makes you think that last year's beetles laid their eggs in the bad spots? Any sunny location is fair game. You might want to do some scouting to see where the highest population is. It is a common homeowner mistake to think that the grubs are in the bad patches. That's where they were last year. :-(

GrubEx is one option for you, with Chlorantraniliprole as the active ingredient Another option would be a granular formulation of Merit (or other brand) with Imidacloprid. Both can provide fairly long lasting control over a wide range of soil arthropods.

Application times are regional. Call your local county extension office to find out when grubs are can be expected to come close to the surface this spring.

My friend treated her lawn with beneficial nematodes and that helped. If you want to go the chemical route, try Sevin.

Chemicals on lawns is forbidden here in Ontario. Our apartment bldg lawn is horrible. Last summer was extremely hot and dry, and the grubs had a hey-day.

The landlady put in an order for nematodes and she's on the waiting list. Hopefully it won't take too long.

Hubby and I were digging out a tree stump today and there were some white, very healthy grubs down in the soil.

The bldg next door has holes in the lawn from skunks or raccoons digging for the grubs.

Hi again jassy,

Hope you live on the other side of the building from the one with the dug-up lawn ... in case something frightens this year's skunk(s)!

B T W ... how does your building evade them?

o j ... always looking out for your best interests

Milky spore

What is for sale today is not as strong as you use to purchase but there is nothing you can do about that. Seven still makes a grub control that will work but they will come back again next year. I would suggest you put the Seven on your entire lawn & make sure you water it in or put it down just before a rain otherwise it will not work. Not only will grubs kill your lawn they will get into your flower beds if you have any. If they are that bad you might have to do it again in about 1 month. Hope this helps. Not only does skunks like grubs racoons will tear up your entire lawn looking for them.

Skunks tear up the lawn too, and will actually roll back the sod sometimes to get to them.

Please don't use Sevin. The active ingredient (carbaryl) is one of the cholinesterase inhibitors....which makes it very dangerous for humans and other warm blooded animals. It also doesn't have the long lasting effects as the other products mentioned.

Truly, Sevin would not be a good choice.

We are using milky spore and we know that the lawn has to be treated for 3 yrs. There is no such thing as a 1 time bomb tht will kill them forever.

I'M also a vote against Seven or any other chemicals.

Now, if we could only figure out a way to get our next door neighbor totake up lawn care on her yard...

We have the same problem, one thing they hate is water, so keep your lawn wet. You can't treat them until July or August when they start to eat.

You could treat now. You may have to re-treat again in July if you have a really heavy infestation. The most effective time to treat is in July/July

Having a wet lawn will not prevent grubs. They don't "hate" wet lawns. The wet lawn may be able to recover better from the damage.

Your lawn will need to be watered BEFORE treatment (unless you have been having rains - as we have). Then you will need to water in the treatment. By applying it to a yard with damp soil, and then watering it in - it will allow the insecticide to penetrate the soil and kill the bugs. If the soil is very dry when applied - it will not be as effective. Water the insecticide in a day after you apply it, unless you have a decent rain.

You could also contact your Illinois Extension Service. They would have very specific info for your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: University of Illinois

THANKS! Why would I ever waste time asking for help anywhere *else*? I received no replies on "lawns" and nothing back from the Chicago Botanic Garden; maybe eventually?

The U of I site was very helpful. Thanks, iowagirl. I suspect our drought last year meant our (irrigated) lawn became a haven for insects displaced from the (dry) conservancy directly south of our property. I don't know if that will prove permanent.

Maybe we should treat the whole lawn. Scott's quoted something like $500. I'd thought we could just do the areas where we've seen severe damage. At least Scott's would return without further cost if the treatment isn't successful.

Sounds like Iminacloprid is what I need. Now and again in mid-summer.

Now...what about these 2 1/2 inch burrow holes? Yikes!