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Salt Lake City, Utah

Last week I found a dozen very large grubs while turning over some soil in the garden. These babies are probably one inch in diameter when curled up. I bought some stuff at the local hardware store (called Bug Stop I think, and sprayed the patch. Still have grubs. How serious are these big boys and what should I do?

6/27/2003 3:17:23 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

They sound like June beetle or Japenese beetle grubs. Do you have large unexplained brown dried up patches in lawn later in the year? Its the beetles eating the roots of the grass. Grub-X controls them for me. The will munch on the pumpkin roots too.

6/27/2003 4:29:28 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Sounds like June Beetle grubs. Take a look at the photo in my diary. Scarey looking buggers!

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=7921

These guys are a little too large to be killed with conventional insecticides. Dylox (trichlorfon) is very fast acting & highly soluble. So if it's spread correctly & watered right in, you'll see the effects within hours. They'll come up out of the ground & roll around high as kites. They won't die there. So have a plan to sweep or rake them up.

Dylox (trichlorfon) is aka Bayer 24 hour Grub Control. It is NOT legal to use on pumpkins or any other vegetable crop. It won't hurt the Pumpkins. But your on your own either way.

Merit applied right about now every year should prevent their return for good.

Steve

6/27/2003 6:04:59 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

they are either masked chafer beetles or japanese beetle grubs and they love to eat roots!!

6/30/2003 12:18:10 PM

Montoursville, PA

I had a can of Milky Spore Disease. Put it in the patch late last fall. Between that and Merit something must be working well. I have seen no grubs and only one adult June Beetle. That one had an odd colored soft thorax. It was hardly moving. Put in in a can to see what would transpire. It's goose was cooked by noon the next day.

7/4/2003 8:55:44 PM