Chafer grubs
Adult chafer grubs are a reddish brown beetle around 14mm long. But it is the grub stage that is a problem to turf. The adults emerge from the soil in May-June and mate in the evenings through to the end of July, each night returning to the soil. Eventually the female chafer grub lay their eggs in the soil, laying around 15-20 eggs over several days. Eggs are often laid in compacted soil around 150mm deep, so regular aeration of a lawn can help reduce incidence as part of an Integrated Pest Management Plan.
After approximately 2 weeks the eggs hatch, in due course the chafer grub larvae move toward the surface and begin to feed on the roots of the grass plants.
You will notice the damage to your lawn in the August September period. This damage presents itself as a gradual thinning and yellowing of the lawn. The greater the chafer grub infestation the more evident the damage will be. Dead areas would expand in size and turf can literally be peeled back like the page of a book.
The problem can become evident by secondary damage such as birds pecking at and pulling back the surface. Contact your local TruGreen Lawn care specialists to treat the chafer grub infestation and return your lawn to a healthy condition.
