There is a lawn scourge that is relentlessly moving its way westward in B.C.'s Lower Mainland area.
It started in New Westminster, moved into Burnaby and has now showed up in Vancouver.
To prevent your lawn from being ravaged, you need to take action at the first sign of the European chafer beetle.
If you have seen them flying at dusk in your neighbourhood, your lawn may be torn up soon.
The larval stage of the European chafer is a grub that feeds on the roots of many plants, but prefers to roots of turf grasses. Grubs have a soft, white C-shaped bodies with tan brown heads and three pairs of prominent, long legs.
The grub is a favourite meal of raccoons and crows.
"There is no real silver bullet in terms of prevention," says Tracey Weldon, an Environment Services Officer for the City of Burnaby,
To combat the problem you need to make it difficult for the beetles to lay their eggs.
Do that by leaving your lawn three inches long, or longer than your index finger. A short lawn is an easy target.
You can check to see whether you've got the problem by digging up a 30-centimeter square area of lawn and looking for the grubs. They'll be big enough to see by the end of July. If you find five or more, you've got a problem.
So what can you do then?
You can try to get rid of them using beneficial nematodes, a parasitic worm that kills the grubs. You mix them up in water and put them on the lawn.
"It seeks out and destroys or kills the European chafer grubs," explains Tracey.
The end of July is the best time to do this. Since nematodes are living creatures, you have to then water your lawn every day for about a week, and for that you need a special permit.
There is also a chemical that only lawn care professionals can put on your lawn to kill the grubs. It's called Merit.
Tracey says, "It's a pesticide that the city does not recommend be used because it's a broad spectrum pesticide, which means it can also kill off other beneficial insects like bees that we are losing in high numbers already."
Rather than replace a lawn that's been destroyed, many people in affected areas have replaced their front lawns with front yard gardens. The gardens look great and are less susceptible because the beetle grubs prefer lawn roots. Some even see the gardens as a great improvement to the lawn that used to be there.
Another thing the chafer beetle doesn't like is white clover. Burnaby is experimenting with mixing white clover into grassy areas to see if it will keep the lawn-destroying beetle at bay.
For more information on how to deal with the problem, click on the City of Burnaby link and search European chafer, or go to any garden centre in Burnaby and look for a pamphlet. It's also available at Burnaby City Hall.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
The grub is a favourite meal of raccoons and crows.
"There is no real silver bullet in terms of prevention," says Tracey Weldon, an Environment Services Officer for the City of Burnaby,
To combat the problem you need to make it difficult for the beetles to lay their eggs.
Do that by leaving your lawn three inches long, or longer than your index finger. A short lawn is an easy target.
You can check to see whether you've got the problem by digging up a 30-centimeter square area of lawn and looking for the grubs. They'll be big enough to see by the end of July. If you find five or more, you've got a problem.
So what can you do then?
You can try to get rid of them using beneficial nematodes, a parasitic worm that kills the grubs. You mix them up in water and put them on the lawn.
"It seeks out and destroys or kills the European chafer grubs," explains Tracey.
The end of July is the best time to do this. Since nematodes are living creatures, you have to then water your lawn every day for about a week, and for that you need a special permit.
There is also a chemical that only lawn care professionals can put on your lawn to kill the grubs. It's called Merit.
Tracey says, "It's a pesticide that the city does not recommend be used because it's a broad spectrum pesticide, which means it can also kill off other beneficial insects like bees that we are losing in high numbers already."
Rather than replace a lawn that's been destroyed, many people in affected areas have replaced their front lawns with front yard gardens. The gardens look great and are less susceptible because the beetle grubs prefer lawn roots. Some even see the gardens as a great improvement to the lawn that used to be there.
Another thing the chafer beetle doesn't like is white clover. Burnaby is experimenting with mixing white clover into grassy areas to see if it will keep the lawn-destroying beetle at bay.
For more information on how to deal with the problem, click on the City of Burnaby link and search European chafer, or go to any garden centre in Burnaby and look for a pamphlet. It's also available at Burnaby City Hall.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
