White Grubs
Question from Elin:
How to get rid of organically besides digging out? Did last year, back again!
Answer from Pat:
White grubs are the larval form of various beetles and bugs, such as June Bugs, who lay their eggs in the ground. White grubs eat plant roots. However, my experience has been that they don’t do much harm in the vegetable or flower garden. In lawns, on the other hand, white grubs can cause ugly dead patches, but this is seldom a problem if the soil is permitted to go somewhat dry between waterings. Nonetheless, when digging up the ground ahead of planting season, I do the same as you do. I pick up the grubs and throw them into a bucket. I have tried putting them in a dish for the birds without much success. Starlings will sometimes land on lawns and do the grub control for you, but I guess they only like catching their own.
Anywhere in the garden—lawn, vegetable garden or flowerbed— there are a couple of organic solutions to the white grub problem. One is to purchase Gardens Alive “Grub Away” nematodes: http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=5000. These are the correct species to kill white grubs. Gurneys also carries them. My experience is that these nematodes really work but only in moist soil that stays moist and does not dry out completely between irrigations. Since those requirements don’t describe the majority of situations in my garden, they worked only partially for me. Nonetheless, I think that it would be worth your while to try using these nematodes and perhaps they will work for you. I have reason to suppose that they might have proliferated in my garden and still be present here even many years after first introducing them to my garden soil. If you purchase these beneficial nematodes be sure to request the type for mild climates.
Another way to control white grubs is to purchase MIlky Spore Disease. I did that also. Gardens Alive also carries this product and you can purchase it elsewhere also. Milky Spore Disease does not work as well out here in the west as it does in the northern and eastern portions of the United States, since we do not have the same grubs here. Nonetheless, it is likely to be of partial help.
I might try this. I have some strawberries and they spread a lot so I put some sandstone rocks around it. Today I looked under one while I was weeding, and there was a lot of grubs! I looked under more, and under a lot of them there were some grubs! Under one of them, I lifted up a oak leaf and there was like a million grubs! Help!!!!!
I would answer your cry of “Help!” if I could, but since that’s not possible—(GRIN)— I can nonetheless tell you what to do. White grubs often take shelter under rocks, boards, and debris, thus these items can be used as traps to catch and remove them. It sounds as if the conditions in your garden are making the white grubs shelter under rocks in your garden. I would look for them again if I were you. Don’t miss this window of opportunity. I suggest donning a pair of garden gloves and rolling back the existing rocks daily at approximately the same time of day you found them before. (Midday, perhaps, on a warm, sunny day?) Next step: Grab courage with both hands! Woman warrior, full speed ahead! (Throw to the winds all thought of the “Ick Factor.”) Pick up or rake up the grubs, toss them into an empty bucket, then bag them and throw them away in the trash. Soon you will rid your strawberry patch of white grubs. Also you might try laying some boards or old tiles or bricks on grub-infested ground and lifting these objects daily to remove and destroy white grubs sheltering beneath them.
Thank you! We just found some in our raised vegetable garden while planting tomatoes. We found 3 and threw them in the green garbage. We didn’t know what they were until I found your article. Do you think they would be harmful to the tomatoes? I’m debating whether we need to empty the soil from the garden and refill before its too late to replant the tomatoes.
White grubs are attracted to organic matter, they munch on rotting plant material plus few surface roots, doing little damage except to lawns. Tomato roots are deep and far too plentiful for grubs to seriously damage. Simply bag and throw out the grubs you find and use rocks or boards to trap more as I’ve already explained. Certainly don’t change the soil. Why go to all that work when white grubs will be back again next year?
well I can say one thing about grubs and thats my chickens love them lol