Avoiding damage from grubs is best done on a preventative basis, as it is much easier to target and control the early larval stages of white grubs. Waiting until damage is visible can mean the problem is much worse than it appears. While curative solutions can also be used, a preventative approach can eliminate problems before they start, avoid costly repairs, and lessen the chances for disgruntled customers. So, when is the best time to apply and how should you select the right product?
Preventative applications performed in May should use products containing Acelepryn (chlorantraniliprole), which has a wider range of control but takes longer to activate in the soil. Products containing Merit (imidacloprid) should be applied in June, closer to egg hatch timing. Application timing is very important for product efficacy and is not effective once damage is evident in August or September. If grubs and other surface insects are of concern, products containing imidacloprid + lambda are excellent preventative control options.
Life cycle of a typical annual white grub. Image credit: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/E-271/E-271.html
If large populations of white grubs are already present on your managed turfgrass areas, the combination of carbaryl + bifenthrin is an ideal curative control option. Carbaryl can also be applied as a standalone product anytime between March through early September depending on location, for curative control of white grubs and other surface insects. For both preventative and curative control options, products must be watered in soon after application with 0.25” water to move the active ingredients into the root zone location of the feeding insects.
Pests can ruin even the best of outdoor spaces. Send pests packing this summer with the GrubOut family of products, designed to tackle damaging sub-surface pests and pesky surface feeders alike.
GrubOut (imidacloprid) provides season-long control of white grubs, aphids, root weevil, Japanese beetles, and many other sub-surface pests.
GrubOut Plus features imidacloprid and lambda-cyhalothrin, a combination that provides season-long control of sub-surface pests and 30-day control of surface-feeders like army worms, sod webworms, chinch bugs, and more.
GrubOut and GrubOut Plus are featured in select fertilizer blends, providing maximum flexibility.
DuoCide®
Featuring carbaryl and bifenthrin, DuoCide is a broad-spectrum insecticide designed for the preventative and curative treatment of feeding insects, including white grubs, European crane fly, and many more.
Perfect for late-summer applications, DuoCide works as a rescue product for those who may have missed the early-summer application window.
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