Lawn Care & Landscape Blog

There are many types of pests that can plague your yard and cause irreparable damage to your grass in Buffalo, Lancaster, East Amherst, and other nearby areas in New York.

One such pest that can cause vast amounts of damage if left untreated is the grub or white grub. Grubs are larvae from different species of beetles such as Japanese beetles and junebugs and usually hatch sometime in the summer, about two weeks after the beetles lay eggs in your yard.

The Life Cycle of a White Grub

Most white grubs, except the junebug, have a life cycle of one year. Junebugs have a three-year life cycle.

• Egg Stage: Adult beetles burrow into the soil to lay their eggs, usually between June and August. These eggs will generally hatch in about two weeks.
• Larvae Stage: After hatching, grubs start to eat the grass roots. They’ll continue to grow and as they do, they eat more and more of your grass. This is when grass damage starts to become visible and animals begin digging in your yard.
• Pupae Stage: Eventually, the larvae will turn into pupae, where they will stay for several weeks until they become an adult beetle.
• Adult Beetle: Adult beetles will then come out, spend about 2-3 weeks mating, and lay eggs to start the process all over again.

What Are the Signs of Grub Worm Infestation?

If you start to see dead patches in your grass as your grass begins to green up from the winter dormancy, it’s possible there could be a grub...