How To Get Rid Of Grub Worms

I have had the experience of lawn grubs damaging my lawn. I like to share my experience to help others.

Lawn Grub or White Grub or Grub Worm

bobistraveling CC BY-2.0 via Flickr

How I Noticed Signs of Grubs in the Lawn

It was an early October morning, and I was up early just after sunrise. I opened the back door to let the dog outside and was shocked at what I saw.

The grass was all torn up. Kind of like a "grass massacre" (see photo below). I shook my head and looked again wondering what happened overnight. My first guess was that a deer got into the yard and dug up the lawn. That's what it looked like. But it didn't make sense because the yard is entirely fenced in.

My next thought was some other kind of animal, yet why? I mean this mess was pretty bad.

Figuring Out What Dug Up My Grass

I took a rake and a big garbage can to start cleaning up. As soon as I pulled a patch of grass, I saw them!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GRUBS! White ugly, creepy, wormy-like lawn grubs!

But how could these little worms make such a mess?

My early morning surprise!

Sharyn's Slant

Types of Beetle Larva That Damage Lawns

There are several types of beetle larva (called lawn grubs, grub worms or white grubs) that damage grass, including larva from the:

June Beetle
Japanese Beetle
Green June Beetle
Masked Schafer Beetle
Black Turfgrass Ataenius Beetle

What Are Lawn Grubs (Often Called White Grubs)?

A classic lawn grub or white grub is a whitish C-shaped larva of a beetle (such as June beetles) that are about ½ inch in length. The beetles typically lay their eggs during mid summer in sunny areas of the lawn. Their larva (lawn grubs) live in the soil eating on the roots of grass and other organic matter leaving it dry, brown and dead.

Eventually grubs turn into adult beetles and come out of the soil to mate and lay eggs which hatch into more grubs.

Lawn Grubs Attract Unwelcome Wildlife

Not only do grubs damage the lawn, their presence also attracts unwelcome wildlife. These critters have no concept of "property lines" and can easily find their way into even a fenced in yard.

Animals such as raccoons, skunks, moles, and other rodents will feed on lawn grubs. They will strip away your grass or dig tunnels underneath in search for one of their favorite delicacies.

Important note: Many of these animals including birds also dig your lawn to find earthworms. Always confirm that grubs are present before pursuing a lawn treatment.

Identifying Lawn Grubs

These signs will vary by the time of year.

In the Late Summer or Early Fall:

Lawn grub damage is usually visible from late summer and peaking in the early fall. If you have irregular patches of grass that are brown and dry, check to see if a patch easily peels away from the soil. If a patch of grass lifts up like a carpet with no roots holding it down, you likely have an infestation of lawn grubs.

In the Spring:

As your lawn begins to green up, look for brown patches that never turn green. These dead patches of grass may be grub damage from the previous fall.

Dry patch from grub damage.

Sharyn's Slant

Wait: Some Grubs Are Okay

As you inspect your lawn to identify that grubs are present, it's important to know that a healthy lawn can easily support some grubs without the need for any type of treatment.

To determine the extent of the infestation, dig and lift several sections of sod the size of one square foot by approximately three inches deep. Then follow the guidelines in the table below.


Number of Grubs within a Square Foot	What To Do
0-5	No need to treat
6-9 in a healthy lawn	If lawn is healthy, no need to treat
6-9 in a stressed lawn	A less healthy lawn may require treatment, especially if animals are digging up the grass
10 or more	It's likely that the lawn will continue to be further damaged and will require a treatment plan

When to Apply a Lawn Grub Treatment

Grubs are larger and no longer feeding in the spring, therefore they are less susceptible to treatment. In addition, spring rains can easily wash away a treatment.

Midsummer to early fall is the best time to treat lawn grubs because at this point, grubs are small, immature and closer to the surface.

I Got Rid of the Dry Patches and Cut the Grass Before Treatment

Get rid of the dry dug-up patches and if you can, discard any grubs you come across.

Sharyn's Slant

Simple Grub Control Options

Birds: Do what you can to attract birds to your yard using bird feeders, bird baths and nesting homes. Birds eat bugs including grubs.
Beer: Another lawn control option that is said to work is to set a beer trap. Use an old plastic bowl approximately three inches deep by six inches in diameter. Dig a hold so the bowl fits to where the top lip of the container is at ground level. Pour beer in the bowl.

Reseeding After Lawn Grub Treatment

Dead lawn patches should be reseeded. For me, it's currently too late in the season. So I've cleared out most of the patches, treated the lawn with Scotts GrubEx, will also soon spread Winterizer fertilizer and then reseed in the spring. And hopefully, my yard will remain grub free!

This is Sharyn's Slant.

Types of Grub Treatment Products to Consider

Always read the instructions and follow them carefully when using any type of lawn treatment. There are difference applications with different ingredients recommended for killing lawn grubs and/or preventing them.

Curative Products: Curative products will kill existing grubs on contact.

Preventative Products: Preventative products will kill grubs that are present at the time as well as those that may hatch throughout the season.

Dylox – fast acting and most effective in the fall.
Merit and Mach-2 – used early in the season as a helpful prevention.
Milky Spore – effective and environmentally safe. Used on active grubs and as a prevention.
Neem Oil – a botanical pesticide that repels against beetles and lawn grubs.
Nematodes – a soil-dwelling worm that releases bacteria into the soil which in turn, infects and kills lawn grubs.

Great Video on All Types of Insects That Damage Lawns

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Is lawn treatment safe for animals such as dogs, cats, and deer?

Answer: No, not all treatments are safe for animals. Be sure to read the bag thoroughly.

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on March 21, 2020:

Hi Alice, I believe it it really depends on the distance from your neighbors. If your lawns are attached, definitely. In my situation our lawns are literally only a single driveway away from each other in the front. I absolutely believe if my neighbor's have them, I will also. Best wishes!

Alice on March 21, 2020:

My neighbours have grubs I don't think I do yet should I treat before they start on my lawn

Lori on September 01, 2019:

Hi Sharon. I'm from Ontario Canada and I'm experiencing severe grub and cinch bug problems. We are not permitted to use pesticides so I'm asking about neem oil and instructions on its use if you can help, I would much appreciate it. It's so much work here to keep a lawn these days especially when the neighbors have lost hope and no longer care. Thanks

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on March 12, 2018:

Hi Kimmy,

I really can only advise you to read the label on the bag first since all products may be different. And yes, SO nasty! Good luck!

Kimmy on March 08, 2018:

Hi , can I treat my potted plants with any grubs killer ? Bec at one time I repotted one of my plant and I found out that it has grubs inside the pots ,, it's so nasty

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on January 09, 2018:

Hi Alexi,

I would check what they say on the bag of what you use to get rid of the grubs. Make sure you can plant vegetables in the same area. It may/should give you a timeline like "do not plant vegetables for at least 6 months after treating."

Alexi on January 09, 2018:

Hi, Can I dig up the grass ,get rid of them and turn the area into a vegetable patch ? I was thinking of treating the area first

Brenda Hawkins on September 30, 2017:

Hi we have a new puppy and an 18 year old dog, both vaccinated, and I regularly pick up the big dog Poop, now we have the puppy even more so as I now am starting to let onto back lawn supervised sometimes on a lead sometimes not. Whilst picking up the poop I noticed the Grubs, are they harmful to the dogs?

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 25, 2013:

Hello F.A. ~ Grubs are definitely nasty. There are treatments that will not harm birds and other creatures. Definitely check it out to determine if you actually have enough of a grub infestation that warrants a treatment. Thank you for stopping by.

Sharyn

FlourishAnyway from USA on April 22, 2013:

Thank you for writing about this. They are nasty, and I've been reluctant to treat them for fear that I might harm birds and others.

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 15, 2013:

Hi Natasha ~ ha, you made me giggle when you said that they are frightening. That's because I truly understand that statement. I really was in shock when I woke up one morning to the terrible damage. It was pretty creepy. I hope you never experience that again. Thank you for your feedback.

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 15, 2013:

Hi faythef ~ you got that right! Grubs are extremely ugly. I'm so glad you found this article helpful. Thanks for stopping by.

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 14, 2013:

Hi pinto2011 ~ you are very welcome. Sorry to hear that grubs have invaded your life too :( Good luck. I appreciate you stopping by.

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 13, 2013:

Hi Vicki ~ yes, the damage is incredible and it happens overnight!! Thanks so much for your feedback!

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on April 13, 2013:

Hi Sharkye ~ OMG, that is really gross about grubs burrowing into animals. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have to look further into it so that I can add some information to this hub. And I bet they do make great fish bait! Ugh, but I can't get that animal thing out of my mind. YUCK! Poor lil creatures. Thanks Sharkye for stopping by.

Sharyn

Natasha from Hawaii on April 12, 2013:

Ugh - I hate grubs! I had a yard for about a year and a half after college and grubs kept getting in my garden and ruining it! They were so huge, too. They were kind of frightening really! I wish I'd had this hub to guide me back then. One day I'll have a yard again and then this will come in useful.

Subhas from New Delhi, India on April 12, 2013:

This is surely going to help me out as I am really perturbed because of these. Thanks for writing all these suggestions.

Faythe Payne from USA on April 10, 2013:

Not only do they cause a lot of damage . They are all about ugly..thank you for this helpful article

Victoria Lynn from Arkansas, USA on April 10, 2013:

Gosh, they cause a lot of damage! Good to know what to do! Great hub!

Jayme Kinsey from Oklahoma on April 10, 2013:

Wow. Interesting hub. Let me add that grubs can also be a danger to pets. When we ran a farm, we had to really be careful about animals that would sleep or lie on the ground. Grubs will burrow into animals! You will notice an itchy place on your pet, and a deep wound that looks like a puncture. If you watch closely, you will see the grub poke out a little bit for air. We had this happen to our free-range rabbits and chickens as well as pets such as dogs and cats before we noticed what was going on and treated it. Grubs can be nasty business. But they do make great bait for fishing!

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on November 08, 2012:

Hi CC ~ I said the same thing to myself. No way did these little worms do all that damage overnight. I honestly did not know what to think at first, especially since the yard is fenced in. I learned quick though. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on November 08, 2012:

Hi Turtlewoman! It certainly is an annoying problem. Oh gosh, I'm afraid to do the research to see if people really eat grubs. Yuck! Thank you so much for stopping by.

Sharyn

Cynthia Calhoun from Western NC on November 07, 2012:

LOL...I was like 'those little worms cause all that damage?' LOL, then I kept reading. That's a cute little raccoon picture ya got there. Hehehe.

Kim Lam from California on November 07, 2012:

Oh yikes, that is an annoying problem! This is a very useful hub!

It's funny, I just saw an episode on Travel where this guy was eating bugs that look just like that first picture. It was in the Philippines and the locals eat them for protein. *shudder*

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on November 06, 2012:

Hi Mo ~ Oh, be glad this is not a big problem where you live. It's kind of like they sneak up on you and before you know it, your lawn looks like my photos :( Thank you so much for stopping by.

Sharyn

Marisa Hammond Olivares from Texas on November 06, 2012:

Oh my goodness, this would totally freak me out! I can't get over those pictures Sharon. This must not be a big problem in our region but if it does become one I'm looking you up for more info. Very interesting, great comment thread too.

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on November 01, 2012:

Hi Glimmer ~ well I'm not sure what to say about your daughter, ha. Thanks for the comment about the milky spore. I may try using that in the spring. I appreciate you stopping by.

Sharyn

Sharon Smith (author) from Northeast Ohio USA on November 01, 2012:

Golfgal ~ as I said, YUCK, ha. Nice to know she had that "Mona Lisa" smile :)

Claudia Mitchell on November 01, 2012:

Really useful hub Sharyn! Voted up too. Your grass looks a little like mine. For some reason my daughter loves to look at the grubs. I love to get rid of them and we really love the milky spore. It seems to work well.

Golfgal from McKinney, Texas on October 30, 2012:

Just yesterday.....she found a grub, lapped it into her mouth, rolled it around on her tongue until she got it just right between her teeth....and yes, with a mona lisa smile she bite down and squished that grub right between her teeth with great delight. I just had to LOL