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Well, not you…..let beneficial parasites eat the grubs.

Each summer we see those giant “mosquitoes” flying around our yards. These are crane flies. They don’t bite–but are an annoyance–and the grubs they hatch from can cause lawn damage.

Crane flies lay eggs in your lawn that eventually become grubs. These grubs, which come to the surface in the spring, munch on lawn roots before turning into crane flies and starting the process all over again. Here is a good calendar of the crane fly life-cycle in your lawn.

If your yard becomes overly infested with crane fly grubs, you might note brown patches in your lawn. But be aware that many other pests and lawn diseases can cause the same conditions. Don’t overreact.

Homeowner will often douse their yards with pesticides because they think they have a grub problem. Most times, however, crane fly grubs are not prevalent enough to cause real damage.

The certified smart people on the subject recommend examining parts of your lawn to first determine if crane fly grubs are even a problem. A good way to evaluate your lawn condition is found here.

If you do have a grub problem and need to treat your lawn, don’t default to pesticides. While treating your lawn with chemicals may kill grubs, you are also adding to the growing problem of these chemicals seeping into our waterways and potentially harming other suburban wildlife such as birds.

Instead, use nematodes.

Nematodes are tiny beneficial parasites that can be added to your lawn. Nematodes act by entering and “hosting” on grubs(and other harmful lawn pests). They normally are purchased in a dormant state and can be applied by mixing them with water and spraying on the grass.

Nematodes are sold by many garden centers. I paid $20 for a container of nematodes (about the same price for a bag of grub killing chemicals). Nematodes do not harm plants nor do they harm helpful critters like earthworms. And best of all, they are organic; you are not adding yet another (unnecessary) pesticide to your lawn and our environment.

Some retailers and garden centers may not recommend nematodes, but I think these are usually the places that would rather sell you a bag of poison instead of an organic alternative. There is ample evidence that nematodes are a great, organic alternative to lawn pest control. Below are a few links (from respectable research centers) to check out, or just Google “beneficial nematodes.”

Washington State University

Cornell University

Ohio State University

Tags: nematodes, organic lawn care