How do you kill grubs in the lawn?

[sixdogs]

My lawn has grubs. After a wet summer here, dead patches to showed up and patches of grass would pull up. I bought a couple bags of "Grub Killer" (Sevin granules) and pretty soon grubs started floating to the surface. They are sold out of that product until Spring and people tell me it won't do much good anyway until the weather warms up again. My grubs appear to be Japanese beetles.

So how do I kill the grubs and then next years hatch? A search gave me all sorts of conflicting advice and the use of everything from restricted chemicals to dishwashing detergent. What works?

Bear in mind I also have dogs that run on the 2 1/2 acres of grass and that I would like to find a less harmful solution to the problem. Is there anything easy that will kill the adult grubs this fall and not cost a bundle? Come Spring I could use fertilizer with an insecticide but again, I have dogs.

What have you used to kill grubs and hopefully keep them away?

 

[dave1949]

Some use milky spore, a parasitic grub fungus. It's pricey and takes several years to build up an effective soil population. My FIL used that but never did get rid of all the beetles.

We were really over run by J. beetles this summer. I trapped a bunch but you never get them all. I don't know what next July will bring.

Skunks will dig out and eat the grubs. That should work. :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

Get yourself some moles.... they'll eat the heck out of them.

 

[MossRoad]

In all seriousness though, trap the beetles as much as possible next year and for years after that. 2+ acres is a lot to spend on GrubEX.
Scotts GrubEx1*

 

[bobmisi]

I have had good luck with DYLOX 6.2 and Aloft. Find out where the landscapers in your area buy their fertilizer, and they will have all the goods you need. It is best applied late spring to early summer. Scotts is way to pricey for us landscapers, and they do not sell wholesale to the landscape professionals. They want the retail customers.

 

[RichZ]

If you have dogs, DON'T use pesticides. Milky spore works and is safe for your pets and the environment. It's really the only safe choice.

 

[/pine]

Off the wall wild scenario...
Would it not be cool if we could shrink ourselves down (with formidable weapons and ammo of course) and go down into their domain and reek havoc...?

..."say hello to my little friend..."

 

[sixdogs]

I sure could use a little more help here on getting rid of grubs and also not hurting my dogs.

I've read about guys that mix dish detergent or laundry soap in water--maybe a gallon in 10 or 15 gallons of water and sprayed the yard. Apparently it worked but when I dumped some soapy water on a grub area the other day no grubs surfaced. So I don't know.

In the Spring I could use Seven granules just before a heavy and soaking rain. I know that stuff kills grubs and if it's OK for vegetables it should be ok especially after big and soaking rains?

Any more advice?

 

[BethelHntr]

Weed and feed also works at least for my yard it has, If I don't spread every year I have mole city. Like moss road said moles love grubs.

 

[MossRoad]

Off the wall wild scenario...
Would it not be cool if we could shrink ourselves down (with formidable weapons and ammo of course) and go down into their domain and reek havoc...?

..."say hello to my little friend..."

NO! I read somewhere that if a mole were the size of a human, it could walk between parked cars and shove them apart. Also, they have twice the red blood cells per ml as humans, so they only need half the oxygen! ALIENS!!!!