Chafer Beetles
Chafer Grubs
If you're suffering from brown or yellow patches in your lawn you might be suffering from a common garden pest, the chafer grub. Chafer grubs look like large maggots and are often mistaken for vine weevils. They're usually found up to 6 inches below the surface on the lawn and feed on the roots of the grass.
Chafer grubs turn into a red / brown beetle known as the Chafer Beetle, May Beetle or June Beetle - as their common names suggest, they can usually be seen in the garden around May or June.
The Symptoms and Clues
Any time from March - May, usually during a dry spell yellow, brown or dead patches appear in the lawn. The cause is the chafer grub eating the roots of the grass, preventing the grass drawing enough water from the surrounding soil.
You may also notice birds, foxes or badgers digging or scratching at the surface of the lawn - they're trying to feed on the grubs in the soil.
When the grubs turn into beetles, these are quite often the first visible sign that it's a chafer grub causing the problem in the lawn. The beetles are often seen 'en mass' late spring (May - June).
Treatment
Provado Lawn Grub Killer
Help is at hand. Provado Lawn Grub Killer is a contact and systemic insecticide which kills the grubs in the soil and the beetles that the grubs turn into. The systemic action makes the roots of the grass poisonous to any grub feeding from it.
Use Provado lawn grub killer in May or June for optimal control of the chafer grub/beetle as this co-incides with the egg laying period of these pests. When you see the first adult chafer beetles appear - you know it's the perfect time to apply.
One treatment of Provado should protect your lawn all season from the pest.
Safety and Environmental Information
Children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas once dry. Grazing animals like rabbits and Guinea pigs should be kept away from treated areas for 4 weeks.
The chemical in provado lawn grub killer can be hazardous to bees, always mow the lawn before applying (to remove any flowering weeds like dandelions, buttercups or daisies) and apply in the late evening that way bees won't be around until it has dried. Do not use when lowering weeds are present.
Do not apply near ponds or streams.
Provado Lawn Grub Killer contains imidacloprid, always read the label, use safely.
