Safely Controlling Grubs

It's that time of year, you look outside and you see brown patches in your other-wise beautiful green lawn. Oh, the mighty grub worm is back. But wait, don't reach for the pesticide. There are some non-toxic ways to get rid of these pests.

As with most pests, the best defense is a good offense. In other words, start with prevention. Appropriate lawn maintenance can help control grubs. The beetles that lay the eggs that become grubs prefer short grass for laying eggs. Keeping your grass at least 2 inches high can discourage egg laying and reduce future grub popu-lations. Aerate the soil by hand or with aerating equipment in the spring and fall. This helps grassroots grow deeper and gives your lawn a better chance of surviving a grub invasion.

Beetles like moist soil lawns for laying eggs, so instead of frequent watering, prac-tice deep, periodic soaking to encourage roots to grow deeper into the soil and dis-courage egg laying.

Plant maple, cherry and elm trees to encourage the Tiphia wasps to visit your lawn. These wasps are parasites to grubs. They lay their eggs in the grub worms and feed on the host. They can get rid of up to 60 percent of grubs in the area. Birds are also good visitors. They eat all kinds of insects. Also try planting beetle repelling plants such as begonia, daisies, violet ,flowering dogwood, and magnolias. Avoid planting beetle attracting plants such as hibiscus, roses, and grapes around highly maintained lawns.

With good maintenance and natural methods of grub control, you can avoid putting toxic pesticides on your where children and pets play.