Grubs operate in stealth mode, causing major damage to your lawn right under your nose. What’s worse, by the time you notice, it may even be too late. This is because they feed on the grass roots and quietly weaken the turf.

Let’s dig into what grubs are, the early red flags of an infestation, and how to prevent grubs in Northeast Ohio. Remember, a little timely prevention now can keep your grass rooted in good health all season long.

Why Are Grubs a Problem in Northeast Ohio?

So, what are grubs, anyway? And what makes them so problematic? Grubs are the larvae of different types of beetles. In Northeast Ohio, white grubs, the larvae of Japanese beetles, are particularly problematic.

White grubs have a c-shaped body and brown heads. They can be between ⅛ inch and 1 inch long. They feed on grass roots and other organic matter, causing widespread damage in your lawn.

There are a few reasons why Northeast Ohio lawns are particularly susceptible to grub infestation.

Sandy Soil

Sandy soil is much easier than compacted clay soil for grubs to maneuver through.

Ideal Grasses

Grass types like bentgrass have a shallow root system and are more prone to developing a thick thatch layer, perfect for grubs.

Humid Conditions

Moist soil conditions offer the perfect environment for adult beetles to lay their eggs, perpetuating the cycle all over again.

Thatch Layer

Thicker thatch layers not only provide a food source for grubs, but it also offers them protection from predators and other elements.

Understanding the Grub Life Cycle

Grubs undergo several different stages throughout their life cycle, and each can affect your lawn in a different way.

Egg Stage

Grubs start out as eggs, laid by adult beetles about 1 to 3 inches deep in moist soil in late June through early August. The eggs hatch within 10 to 14 days.

Larvae Stage

In late summer through fall, the eggs hatch into white C-shaped larvae and start to feed on organic matter such as grass roots. They typically cause the most damage during this time, as the grass has already been weakened by drought stress. The damage usually peaks in late August or early September.

Once the soil temperatures have dropped, in October or November, the larvae migrate deeper into the soil, below the frost line, to overwinter.

When temperatures warm up in the spring, they briefly return to the soil’s surface to feed, though their damage is minimal at this time.

Pupae Stage

Once the larvae have had their fill of your grass, usually in early spring, they turn into pupae. During this phase, they don’t feed.

Adult Beetle Stage

Finally, in summertime, the grubs will transform into adult beetles. You may notice them flying over your yard, mating, and feeding on your plants, causing the chewed-up leaves to look like lace.

After about three to four weeks, in late July, they will fly back to the lawn to lay their eggs. In late summer through early fall, the eggs will hatch, the new larvae will appear, and the cycle begins all over again.

How to Prevent Grubs in Northeast Ohio

To effectively prevent grubs, it’s critical to treat your lawn with a preventive product in late spring/early summer.

Once the product is put down, the grubs feed on it and feel full, so they stop feeding on grass roots, essentially starving themselves to death.

The product we use at Turf Pride is fairly effective, but breakthrough could happen for a few reasons:

• If the product was not watered in, it will just sit at the surface and not reach the grubs.
• On the other hand, if you overwater in the product, it can also leach out of the soil.
• Additionally, if soil is sandy, the water may flow right through and never come into contact with the grubs.

Pro Tip: We recommend you water your lawn one to two inches per week. It’s best to water your lawn three to four times a week, with a half-inch per time.

Signs It’s Time for Preventive Grub Control

Grubs can be particularly challenging because you likely won’t notice until the damage has really set in.

At first, you may notice that the grass has turned light green or brown, but the main way of telling whether or not you have grub activity is by tugging on the grass itself.

If you pull on it and it comes up like a carpet, without any resistance, or feels spongy, that means there’s no root system left. Plus, when you pull up the turf, you will likely notice grubs on the surface of the soil.

How Preventive Grub Control Fits Into a Full Lawn Care Plan

Preventive and curative grub control aren’t the only ways to keep grubs at bay.

There are other things you can do, such as natural grub control methods, to keep your lawn healthy and ready to fend off invaders like grubs.

First, be sure your lawn is receiving the proper amount of water and that you mow your lawn on a regular basis at a height of three inches or more.

Aeration and overseeding can also aid in a healthy lawn program by alleviating compaction, allowing more air, nutrients, and water to move through the soil, and then filling in bare spots with new varieties of turf.

Curative Grub Control

If, for some reason, you do experience breakthrough and notice grub activity in your lawn, our experts will switch to a curative product.

Once it’s watered in, the grubs will ingest it and die fairly quickly.

However, you should note that it’s much harder to treat grubs after they’ve appeared on your lawn.

How Turf Pride’s Preventive Grub Control Works

Grub control is best left in the hands of the experts because the timing has to be exactly right.

At Turf Pride, our specialists undergo specialized training to receive their license and have perfected the timing of when grub treatment will be most effective on Northeast Ohio lawns. Our grub treatment program includes a spring preventive treatment and a curative treatment if needed.

While DIY products do exist, they are different from ours at Turf Pride in that they are not attached to a fertilizer. So, at the beginning of summer, when our technicians perform our early summer preventive applications, customers receive two treatments at once. Our grub control product can also help keep other surface-feeding insects, like chinch bugs, billbugs, and sod webworms, under control.

Trying to put down grub control on your own can also increase the chance that you will apply an improper dose or mistime the application.

That’s part of the reason why at Turf Pride, we highly recommend grub prevention as part of our lawn care program, which also includes weed control and fertilization. You can also opt in to premium packages that include aeration and overseeding.

All together, our grub control methods and lawn care program, paired with proper mowing and watering practices from you, can help keep your lawn strong all year long.

Pro Tip: You should note that if you decide to opt out of the preventive treatment and end up experiencing damage from surface feeding insects or grubs, our technicians perform a curative treatment, which is 1.5 or two times the cost of the preventive treatment. In other words, it pays to be preventive.

Unearth The Solution to Preventing Grubs

The key to grub prevention isn’t reacting. It’s about acting at the right time.

Turf Pride delivers proactive, expert lawn care homeowners in Mentor and surrounding areas can rely on. Request a free lawn evaluation today.