If you ’ve ever been moil in the garden and observed plump , pallid coloured grubs beneath the soil that curl up into a “ C ” shape when disturbed , these areCurl Grubs .
curlicue grubs are the larvae of various species of Melolontha melolontha or scarab beetles ( familyScarabaeidae ) . Depending on where you are in the world , these curl eats can be the larva of the Japanese beetles , African black beetles , Christmas beetles , June beetles , Brownish cockchafers , Blackheaded eatage cockchafers , Black soil scarabs and several others . Once these larva go through their life wheel beneath the soil and egress as beetles , they ’re comparatively short lived , living for 1 to 9 weeks . The distaff beetles can set 20 - 40 eggs in the dirt , from which novel curl grub larvae will egress .
Identifying Curl Grubs
It ’s fairly easy to identify curl grubs , they have white-hot , pale cream or grey - clean soft bodies , with 6 legs , and a small hard brown , yellowish brown or reddish browned head . They vary in size and can get to a size of 4 mm to 60 mm long . When resting or agitate they curl up up into a C - shape , hence their name . Their rear end is enlarge and has a gray touch from the faecal subject in their hind bowel which is visible through their physical structure .
The natural habitat of scarab mallet larvae is grassland , where they feed on organic matter and plant roots . In orotund identification number , roll grubs can be very destructive , damaging lawns , gardens and plants in pots by feeding directly on the solution or cutting roots off as they scrounge for organic matter .
They are most active during mid spring to mid summertime , and usually will only feed in the warmer months , but if winters are meek they may keep feeding throughout the year . Being most participating during the red-hot atmospheric condition , they damage industrial plant when they are most likely to be passion stressed , causing them to droop and not respond to watering , finally drying out if the root price is extensive . Most curl chuck are active just below the soil , feeding within 1 to 2 centimetre of the soil surface .
gyre grub damage in lawns is quite distinct – during late summertime and early autumn , unorthodox brownish death patches of lawn will look , which can easily be lifted off and undress aside like carpet from the soil Earth’s surface , as the roots have been use up away .
Curl grubs will feast on the roots of a wide range of plants , but not those of the legumes menage such as edible bean and peas .
Assessing the Curl Grub Problem
It ’s authoritative to point out thathaving curl chuck in your soil does NOT stand for you have a curl grub problem ! As a world-wide regulation , a healthy lawn can put up up to five curl grubs per solid foot .
If you need to go over if you have a problem with curl grubs , dig out up one square foot ( 30 curium x 30 cm ) of lawn beneath one of the brown patches that is die back , to a spade deepness , and check the soil for roll - grub numbers . It ’s best to compass up a few of the dying patches of lawn in different position to get an idea of the extent of the problem .
Another elbow room to asses the numbers of curl grubs present in the soil is to water the lawn well , then cover the chocolate-brown areas of go lawn with a stratum of newspapers , cardboard , a hessian bag , a piece of old rug or similar material , then place something on top such as a few brick to keep it in blank space and give up it being blown away by the wind . Leave in place overnight , and in the morning repeal the bed to check for curl grub .
Curl Grub larvae (credits – CSIRO Australia scienceimage 2025-05-14)
Organic Curl Grub Control
If curl chow numbers are mellow and require control , there are various options available which are secure and allowable in organic gardens , such as neem oil , good nematodes and milky spore .
Neem Oil for Lawn Curl Grub Control
The natural insecticide neem petroleum is pull out from the source of the Neem tree ( Azadirachta indica ) , and contains the dynamic compounds Azadirachtin A & Azadirachtin B.
Neem petroleum has two modes of action :
Neem is safe for beneficial insects as they do n’t eat plant leaf which neem is usually sprayed on . For curl chow control , apply neem to lawn , garden beds and potted plants as a soil drench using a watering can .
Neem oil is a natural insecticide from the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica)
The best meter to go for neem for curl grub ascendance ( or any other curl grub pesticide , natural of man-made , safe or unsafe ) is from mid spring to mid summertime , as this is the time when their eggs are hatching and larvae are near the surface of the grime , where the insect powder can reach them more easily .
Beneficial Nematodes for Lawn Curl Grub Control
These midget microscopic louse are a a biological ascendency , they live in the soil and carry bacteria which kill scroll eats and other pests . They actively pursue the pests in the land , and once inside it , they release the bacterium which kills the blighter .
good nematodes are harmless to people , positron emission tomography , plant or good insects . In Australia , they ’re deal as Nemassist ® nematode , and can be implement to the soil with a watering can or pump spray . Soil temperature needs to be above 15C at the time of app for the good roundworm to be participating , and they can be applied as a prophylactic measure from spring to wintertime .
Milky Spore for Lawn Curl Grub Control
The soil - dwelling beneficial bacteria Milky Spore ( Paenibacillus popilliae ) is another biological ascendency which in the first place infects Nipponese beetle grubs . It ’s applied as a powder over the soil and irrigate in thoroughly .
When the grubs feed closely to the control surface , the ingest the spore , become septic and die . The decomposing grubs release more of the spores into the soil for the next generation of lawn grubs . The spores will remain in in the stain for 10 - 20 years , observe controller of the cuss .
Milky Spore requires the curl eats pests to be present in the dirt in the first place so the bacteria can multiply and take outcome . Since the spore ask to reproduce to hit sufficient numbers in the filth to work efficaciously , this process may take around two to four years , so it ’s not an immediate restraint , but it ’s effective over a very long period .
Beneficial nematodes can be applied with a sprayer or watering can to control lawn grubs
Another reward of Milky Spore is that it can be used together with beneficial nematodes which help scatter the bacteria throughout the soil . If you want to use the two together , sprinkle the Milky Spore on the ground and then water in well using a watering can filled water containing the beneficial nematodes .
Curl Grub Prevention
One of the best ways to avoid pest problems is to NOT create environments that favour pests . Curl grub beetles favour to lie down their eggs in thin , thin forage , so it ’s best to keep lawn dense and healthy , and cut off fairly high-pitched , a lower limit of 5 cm ( 2 ” ) . Water when necessary and fertilise ( using lifelike fertilisers to preserve the innate stain ecology which control pests , and to avoid pollution of waterways ! ) to maintain the condition of the lawn , and water supply profoundly to promote deeper , potent rootage .
Curl grub population are naturally abridge by utmost weather and disease , parasites and marauder . Keeping your gardening natural means observe it good for living things , which encourages the hold out organisms which usually control these pestilence in Nature . Do not use vicious synthetical chemical pesticide , weedkiller and fungicides in the garden !
The most utilitarian lifelike enemies which control curl chow numbers are parasitic wasps and insect - exhaust shuttle . In Australia , Magpies , a member of theCorvidae(crow ) family , are a major predators of curl grubs , you ’ll often see these bird savvy them out of lawn . They can be encouraged to stay if there are ball of trees for them to nest in . Many flowering aboriginal plants and companion plant draw beneficial wasps into the garden , as they provide a nectar reference .
Milky spore is a beneficial bacterium used for control of Japanese beetle grubs in lawns
observe the ecological equilibrium in the garden and keep a healthy ecosystem , rather than creating a chemical substance - warfare trashed ecological wasteland is decisive . If you do n’t poison or belt down good predatory insects , and create a rude background that give them somewhere to experience , they ’ll do the work for you . Both the larval stages of click beetles ( familyElateridae ) , and the adult and larval stage of carabid mallet ( predatory priming coat beetles ) ( familyCarabidae ) eat curlicue grubs .
Conclusion
view matters , a few curl grubs in the lawn or garden are not a trouble , it ’s only when their numbers gettoo high – which is because of an ecological instability , often human created , that we need to take action . instinctive and constitutional - certify controls are uncommitted to treat curl grub problems , so there ’s no demand to twist your lawn or garden into a toxic playground . Seeing a few liberal beetle buzzing around in the garden add together to the experience of savor Nature . Happy gardening !
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