WHITE
GRUBS - are the larvae of various scarab beetles,
family Scarabaeidae, including May, June and Japanese
Beetles. They are whitish with brown heads and three
pairs of legs, and are often found curled into a
C shape under the soil surface. Size varies from
around a half inch to two inches in length according
to species. If skunks, raccoons, moles and other
small animals are digging in your lawn, this may
indicate the presence of white grubs. These larvae
feed on roots, particularly in lawns where the turf
may become brown in patches and can be rolled back
like a carpet. They have been reported, however,
to feed on daylily roots on
occasion. This is probably most likely where a new
daylily planting bed has been recently dug out of
a grassed area. On a small seedling the
roots may be severed just below the soil surface
and the plant found lying on the ground. On digging
into the soil where the seedling was growing, you
may find one of these grubs and can remove and destroy
it. Digging new beds in the fall and leaving unplanted
until spring will expose some grubs to birds and
other predators. Burying cut potatoes in the soil
in affected areas is said to attract the grubs, which
can then be removed every few days. Where more extensive
control is required, parasitic nematodes and milky
spore disease may be applied to affected areas. |
