Green Flag for Grub Control Applications!!

If you have been anticipating the ‘go ahead’ for grub control applications in your lawn, now is the time to 'let ‘er fly.' Keep in mind that this go ahead is only for the application of ‘preventative’ grub control products. These include imidacloprid (Merit) and halofenozide (GrubX or Mach 2). Both products are very long lasting but must be applied as preventative treatments, before the grubs hatch. They may be applied anytime from now until the first week of August for best results. As with all homeowner-applied insecticides, it is critical to follow the label directions exactly when making applications.

On the other hand, recent studies at Cornell University have shown that over 70 percent of all grub control treatments were applied needlessly. Why? Because there were no grubs in the lawn to treat in the first place. I am sure that this is equally true in Indiana. Many homeowners are frightened into applying grub controls because of advertisements on TV, in plant centers, or because of horror stories they have heard about grub damage. The truth is that the ‘just-in-case’ philosophy of applying grub controls is not only expensive but hard to justify from an environmental standpoint unless grubs were present in that area in the past.

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Japanese Beetles Eating Away at Hoosier Trees, Flowers and Crops

Purdue University Extension entomologist Tim Gibb expects to see a heavy infestation of Japanese beetles in Indiana this summer. Photo by Tom Campbell

Japanese beetles are out in full force, munching away at trees, flowers and crops across Indiana. And in two more weeks, they will invade the rest of the state.

These metallic green and bronze beetles are emerging for yet another summer feast on roses, shrubs, flowering fruit trees and deciduous trees such as linden, sassafras, sycamore, Norway, maple, birch and elm.

"Every year these beetles are drawn like magnets to the same trees and bushes in home owners' yards and gardens," said Tim Gibb, Purdue University Extension entomologist. "If beetles are a nuisance now, they will be a problem for many years to come."

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Story Resources

Japanese Beetles

Japanese Beetles Eating Away at Hoosier Trees, Flowers and Crops
7-01-2002

Japanese Beetles Emerging in the Rain
6-14-2002

Japanese Beetles in the Urban Landscape (PDF)
6-01-2002

White Grub and Japanese Beetle Pictures

Additional Resources

The Virtual Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory (PPDL)

Extension Entomology

Botany and Plant Pathology Extension

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