5 Signs You Have a Grub Problem

lawn grubs

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There are hundreds of insects that can plague your yard and grubs are one of the most common culprits. Just a few grubs won’t cause too much damage, but a significant number of them can cause serious damage to your lawn.  The first step in eliminating a grub problem is identifying one.  Here are five signs that your lawn has a grub problem.

  1. Carpet Grass: If you’ve noticed areas of your grass that look or feel fragile, you tug at the blades and it pulls up like carpet, grubs are likely the culprit. These pests live below the soil and eat away at roots, disconnecting them from the blades so they are easily pulled away.
  2. Japanese Beetles: White grubs, which plague lawns, are one of the early life stages of Japanese Beetles.  Therefore, a large presence of Japanese beetles in your yard may mean that grubs are already present or may soon become a problem.
  3. Brown Patches: Brown patches in your grass can signal a range of different problems.  This is often overlooked as an issue of dehydration or a lawn disease, but grubs may actually be the cause. If you see a patch, test it by pulling at the blades to see if it rolls up in carpet fashion as mentioned above.
  4. Presence of Other Animals: Birds, raccoons, skunks and other wild pests feed off of grubs. If you’ve noticed any of these animals digging in your grass or even an increased presence of them around your lawn, grubs may be the problem. This can indirectly lead to another problem for your lawn as these pests can tear up your lawn searching for their food.
  5. Grubs Themselves: Obviously, if you actually see these pests in your yard, there may be a problem.  Just a few grubs aren’t a major problem, but you should definitely inspect for more. Grubs have a cylindrical shape and are curved in a C formation. They also have a ringed-appearance and small legs, in some ways resembling a caterpillar. One of the most common of these pests are white grubs, which obviously have a whitish color.

Anytime you have a significant amount of grubs in your yard, it is essential that you treat the problem to avoid major lawn damage.  Lawn care professionals can help you effectively eliminate this problem. Check back next week for more on how to avoid and treat grubs.