I was just talking to a friend who ripped part of his lawn up yesterday (he lives down the road from me), and he told me he has never seen so many grubs. They were alive and kicking, and he mentioned that there had to be one for every square inch of dirt.
He still has some Diazonon left, which has been banned in Canada for a few years now. This stuff works much better than Grub X or BugBeGone (they're both the same thing), which are basically the only two products available on our shelves. They work okay, but not great without drenching your lawn with the stuff, often.
After speaking with someone who sells these chemicals (a long time friend), apparently by September of this year, not even these products will be available in Canada. I'm wondering what kind of product will be available to control lawn pests.
I see lawns developing into what people complained about in regards to neighbors. Will this now be a common sight? The racoons and any other critters that eat grubs are going to have a field day ripping apart lawns to get at these pests.

Perhaps it's time to consider getting rid of grass in exchange for river rock. The only problem with that is, it won't take long for the weeds to start coming through. Products like KillX for weed control will also no longer be available.


Time to get out there and spray!
Hmm, it will be interesting to see what kind of natural products they put on the shelves, and it will be interesting to see if they actually work.

 

Yeah that diazanon (SP) and Durisban (sp) were both banned here right around 2001 I believe. Apparently the Scott's rep told me they were finding traces of it in the water. Sadly it was about the only stuff that really worked, alternate from year to year and it did the trick.


If your serious about the rock idea you could always lay some weeb block below the rocks, it is pretty effective till it rots away. Good for atleast 2-5 years.

 

Canadian Tire has Kill X on sale, so I stocked up on as many "toxins" as I could before they're gone. I confirmed what I mentioned above with the people at CT. They will in fact be going "green" by September.

I just finished spraying and fertilizing. There's a spot in my front yard as well as my back where it's clearly evident that the racoons have been feasting on grubs.

I'll spray again in about 2 weeks.

 

Real Turf. Never worry about your yard again.



*EDIT* Fixed the llink.

 

For some reason that link isn't working for me.

I assume it's some type of artificial turf, but how do I clean up dog shiat and ****?
Scoop and spray?

 

Be glad you don't have moles going for the grubs!

 

I did have one, once. It was actually a Vole, or so I was told. It made some really pretty trails through my front lawn.

 

Fixed the link.

 

Since DDT was banned worldwide, malaria has killed hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. The ban has also been blamed for the resurgence of bedbugs (including in Toronto).


Should the DDT Ban be Lifted?

 

I was down at the garden center this morning to ask a few questions in regards to going to organic lawn maintenance. This garden center (Harpers) has already switched to organic, although I did see GrubX on their shelf. I'll finish with the chemicals I have now, but I'll seriously give the organic method a try after the GrubX and WeedX is finished.

I asked about grub control. The new control method, which apparently works very well, is the use of nematodes. Nematodes are a microscopic worm, and this worm is a parasite to grubs. I think it lays eggs in them, but I'm not sure. Either way, one application is good for about 7-8 months. It's applied by the same mix sprayer that I use now for the GrubX and WeedX. I'll have to make sure the sprayer is cleaned out well, because nemotodes are living creatures, and they'll die otherwise. It's also important that you apply them correctly, otherwise you're wasting your time, and money. They suggest early morning, or later in the evening because the sun can kill them, and you must make sure you water the lawn prior to making the application to help support the growth of the nematodes, and so they'll soak in better.
Kinda neat shiat.

Weed control was my next question. Corn meal glutton is spread just like granulated fertilizer, and this will stop weed growth. Just make sure that if you just seeded with new grass, don't use the CMG or will also stop the your grass from germinating. They say to wait 4-6 weeks before applying it, and after it's applied, this will help with fertilization, because when the CMG breaks down, it becomes nitrogen, which is fertilizer.

This could land up being cheaper than what we pay now to keep decent looking lawns. We won't need as much fertilizer, which they sell now, and it's organic as well.

I'm not sure this organic method will keep as nice a lawn as the chemicals have, but I'll give it a shot and see what happens. It may take several seasons though.


BTW, Grubs do taste like shrimp, but just make sure they don't have Nematodes.

 

The grubs are working on my yard too. I just spread some whatever the heck I bought from Home Depot on my yard. I had a flea infestation really bad this year, my dogs were covered. I finally got it beat.

 

Flea's are one of the toughest bastards on the critter world.

 

Oh yeah...if you live in an area that has termites, Nematodes are supposed to take care of them as well.

 

I've been bathing the damn dogs daily. I finally went and picked up some heavy artillery from Petsmart and the dogs are now clear. My neighbors don't care for their dogs or yards, so I spread the bug killer deep into their yards. I should send them the bill. Sad thing is one my nextdoor neighbor is my best friend since for 30 years. Slacker!!!!

 

In Texas we have what is called the Texas Agricultural Extension Service which has a website that tells all about the critters you are wanting to get rid of and how to grow things. I would assume that Canada would have something similiar so you probably need to search that website. Here's is the Texas info page on grubs:
http://urbanrancher.tamu.edu/retiredsite/bugs/l1131.pdf

Spraying doesn't always kill them and you might be wasting chemical and your time. These grubs don't always feed and if they aren't feeding, you're not killing them. Make sure that you use lots of water when spraying as the chemical has to reach the soil. Spraying just the grass doesn't put chemical where they are at. Might wanna read this link just for info anyway.