Child Item

Help! I have lawn grubs!

Hi All,

Does anyone have any reccomendations on the best Lawn Grub insecticide? I have discovered this evening these dreaded little buggers through my front lawn. By the looks of things they are the Army grub.

Any help on how to get on top of this before they destroy my lawn would be amazing!

Community manager's note: Check out How to control curl grubs and army worms for expert advice.

Find more posts tagged with

Gardening

Comments

greygardener

Sorry to hear of your problem. They usually attack healthy lawns so hopefully you've found them early and can get on top of the problem.They are active at night so you need to apply the insecticide at dusk. But I'm not sure whether the best solution is the spray on or slower-release granules. https://www.bunnings.com.au/search/products?q=lawn%20grub&redirectFrom=Any Hopefully @Adam_W might see your post and help.

Adam_W

Hey @TheFoxSays. Army worms... hideous creatures.
Unfortunately because they are fast moving & do their damage overnight they can be hard to treat & are often only spotted once they've done the damage.
Rule #1 is to identify them accurately and #2 is act quickly. Like today.
I'd be looking to use EcoNeem. Although expensive it's very effective & is much safer to use.

Scotts Lawn Builder + Grub & Insect Control formulation (red bag) can be very effective too.
Personally I’d AVOID any products (lawn care or otherwise) that have Imadicloprid as an active ingredient as the environmental side-effects of these products are terrible. Reports are also indicating that target insects have a high level of resistance to these products.

Products containing Imadicloprid & other 'neo-nics' have actually been banned in various places around the world as they are considered to be major contributors to the decline of essential pollinators such as bees. As the product is systemic even when used on a lawn it can be taken-up through the soil by flowering plants in surrounding garden beds and then gets to bees etc.
In other words these products are not killing the critters you want to nuke but are killing the good guys in your garden…
EcoNeem - EcoOrganic page
Scotts - Lawn Builder + Grub kill

TheFoxSays

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/3688#Comment_3688

You are right on the damage, it looks to be only my front lawn affected in a couple of areas - but last night was the first time I've seen them 🙁 We only laid the turf around 2-3 mths ago!

I'll look into both of those products and will purchase something today to get onto it. I don't want them to damage anymore of the lawn if I can avoid it. We've had tons of rain recently, from what I read that doesn't help the situation.

I appreciate the information regarding imadicloprid, I always try to take the 'eco' way where I can as I am concious of the declining bee population.

@Adam_W & @greygardener appreciate the responses!

TheFoxSays

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/64044#Comment_64044

Just thought I'd post a bit of a follow up. I wasn't able to get EcoNeem, as unfortunately my local Bunnings & nursery that stocks it were both out. So I ended up with the Scotts bag as suggested.

I also decided to buy the hand-tool for easy application and an even spread - so glad I did as I believe it halved the time it would have taken had I just spread it around by hand, I'll need to pop down tomorrow to purchase another bag to do the back lawn also.

I'm now giving the lawn a good water and will report back in a few weeks how the problem is going. Fingers crossed this does the job!

Thanks again for the help today 🙂

Adam_W

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/94577#Comment_94577

No worries @TheFoxSays, glad you went the spreader option.
I've feed (and treated) more lawns than I could possibly remember & I can tell... I've no chance of spreading evenly by hand &, as you said, a spreader makes it so much faster.

TheFoxSays

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/113715#Comment_113715

I would 100% recommend getting a the spreader to anyone - even if it is just for fertilizing purposes! The even spread and time it took was only around 30-45 minutes, then it was just a good water to get things going.
My lawn is looking healthier already and I haven't spotted a grub in a couple of days, so far so good!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/124483#Comment_124483

Following recent rain in south-east Queensland, apparently squadrons of vicious armyworms are on the march and leaving lawns in ruin.

Anyone having trouble with their lawn?

Jason

Essle

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132060#Comment_132060

Hi Jason

This morning we noticed caterpillars on the paved patio only to discover an army of the little nashers absolutely everywhere! My beautiful couch lawn was completely overrun. Upon researching the type of caterpillar, I can confirm they’re Army-worm. Apparently it’s unusual to see such activity in the day but put it down to the moist humid conditions. Round one commenced by way of a granular treatment and removal of all visible lava nests from eaves and gutters.
Fingers x’d it’s all over by round 2!!

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136356#Comment_136356

Good luck with the battle @Essle. Please let us know if you need a hand with anything.

Let me also extend a very warm welcome to the Workshop community. I trust our members will provide plenty of inspiration for your projects and helpful advice.

Jason

jacko3

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/3688#Comment_3688

The Scott's uses Bifenthrin which is harmful to bees, so the econeem would be a better option environmentally to wipe them out.

The products intended as a preventative tend to rely on Acelepryn, which is said to be safe for bees.

EricL

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/87811#Comment_87811

Hello @jacko3

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge in regards to lawn grubs, I'm sure our members will find it quite useful.

We're keen to hear more about all your projects and plans around the home and garden. Please feel free to reach out whenever you need assistance or would like to share a project with the community.

Eric

Child Item