Grub control

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Radio interview source: Trey Rogers, Briggs & Stratton Yard Doctor

My friend Jodi has to battle grubs in her lawn every year. She's been winning the war so far, but her next door neighbors had to re-seed their entire yard because the turf was eaten by grubs that were way out of control.

Grubs aren't hard to find. Dig just under the grass layer and take a peak at the soil. You'll see a white, C-shaped critter that has several legs in the front. A few grubs are normal, but if you find more than 10 to 12 grubs per square foot, you may have to take action.

Grubs are the larvae of various beetle species that feed on the roots of the turf. If you get too many, they eat the roots faster than the grass can regenerate itself. Trey Rogers is a lawn care expert and says unfortunately, the grubs that cause the biggest problems are invasive species.

"That means that no other insect or no other animal comes along and recognizes them as something they'd like to eat," Rogers says. "Ironically, where they originated -- Europe and then Japan -- they're not problems in turf at all because there are all kinds of predators that love to eat these particular insects, so they don't cause a problem in the food chain."