Lately, the most common of these pests we have been seeing are White Grubs. These are the larval stages of mature beetles who feed on the roots of your beautiful turf. The life cycle of White grubs varies, but typically you have a Beetle (like Japanese Beetles or June Bugs) who will lay their eggs in the summer, before emerging. Once the larvae hatches they will begin feeding on your lawns’ roots. They will continue feeding and getting larger until fall time when they begin to dive deeper into the soil where it is warmer. Once spring time rolls around, they again head for those roots and continue feeding and growing. Once they have reached the mature size, they will begin the transformation into their adult forms, lay their eggs and emerge from the ground.
The damage that White Grubs can inflict are awful. The number one sign is a small dead area of lawn that seems to keep growing out from the middle. The area toward the edges will be able to be peeled back like freshly laid sod. Sometimes it is just a small area, while others the entire yard may be ruined.