Dear Reinhart Customer,
Grubs are the most serious and destructive lawn insect pest in Illinois according to the University of Illinois. While not all lawns will get grubs and the extent of grub damage varies from year to year, there are some important points to consider concerning managing grubs in lawns.
We at Reinhart expect grubs to be a problem again this year and we are committed to keeping your lawn healthy, and part of our proactive approach is to keep everyone informed at certain times of the season of potential threats to a healthy lawn.
Grub Identification:
Peeling back the grass has revealed a high population of white grubs.
Grubs are typically white in color, with a characteristic "C" shape body when found in the soil feeding on lawn roots. Grubs are the larval stage of beetles. The most common grub species in our area is the larval stage of the Japanese Beetle.
The adult beetles of our annual white grubs are either Japanese beetles or masked chafers. Japanese beetles are 3/8 inch long. The head and thorax are shiny metallic green and the wing covers are coppery red.
Grub Damage:
- Since grubs feed on the roots of lawn grasses, damage will appear as browning of the lawn. Consider that this also could be due to problems such as drought, poor soil, and diseases. However, grubs are easy to find by lifting sod in damaged areas and checking the root zone for the whitish grubs.
- Grubs harm your lawn by chewing on grass roots. As grubs continue to grow and feed, the damaged area becomes larger. Serious damage can occur in the late spring, summer and fall as the grub larvae chew on the roots of your lawn killing the grass. If the problem is ignored the dead patches of grass will get larger.
- When grass roots are destroyed, patches in the lawn will appear yellow or brown just as if the lawn was dried out. The damage is similar to symptoms of drought or dormancy. Many customers assume that their lawn just needs more water to return to its normal green self. Unfortunately, this is not the case with grub damage.
- Grubs are a favorite food of racoons. Once racoons discover your turf has grubs they can destroy what’s left of the lawn.
What should you do:
- The best way to treat for grubs is to be proactive and protect the lawn before the grubs cause damage.
- Let your account manager help get you set up for Grub treatment services. You can call or email your account manager to schedule an application.
- You will see your account manager inspecting your property over the next few days.
Call Todd Reinhart at 309-821-1711 or todd@reinhartservices.com if you have concerns or questions.
Racoons looking for grubs have significantly damaged this lawn.