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Chafer Grubs

What is a chafer grub and how do they live?
What damage do they do and how do I recognise it?
Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer
Join the Chafer Grub survey

What is a chafer grub and how do they live?:

Chafer grubs are creamy coloured and about 1.5 cm (0.6 inch) in length, have distinctive legs, and are found in the root systems of plants and lawns. They are often mistaken for vine weevil larvae but chafer grubs have legs whereas vine weevil larvae do not.

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What damage do they do and how do I recognise it?:

They attack grass roots. Grass growth slows and yellow patches appear. Grass is easily pulled up, with little or no root growth. Wildlife, such as foxes and badgers, can also create a lot of damage as they dig up your lawn in search of grubs for food.
Rooks, magpies, crows and woodpeckers feeding on your lawn are a good sign of a chafer grub infestation.
Chafer beetles emerge from the lawn. They lay their eggs, which hatch into grubs feeding on the grass roots before burrowing deep into the ground. They then lie dormant deep in the soil before moving to the surface in the spring to emerge as beetles again.
If the chafer's life cycle is not broken re-infestation occurs and the problem gets progressively worse.

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Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer:

Use Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer to deal with a chafer grub infestation, without any of the precautions associated with chemical use, such as excluding children and pets from treated areas until dry or the question of what to do about grazing pets, such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
Apply to moist lawns during August and early October. This is when the young grub larvae are active and the temperature is above 12ºC (54ºF).
Immediately after applying the nematodes, water the grass well so the nematodes are washed into the soil to reach the roots where the chafer grubs will be. Make sure the lawn does not dry out after applying nematodes. Keep the lawn well watered for at least two weeks.
Do not apply too late, since the grubs start to move down deeper in the soil and become inactive until the following spring. However, as this move downwards is temperature dependent, in some years it may still be alright to apply later. As long as the grubs are near the surface and the soil temperature is above 12ºC (54ºF) nematodes can still be applied.
The nematodes (Heterorhabditis megidis) seek out the chafer grubs and attack the pest by entering natural body openings. Once inside, they release bacteria that stops the pest from feeding, quickly killing the pest. They do not stop there. The nematodes reproduce inside the dead pest and release a new generation of hungry infective nematodes, which disperse and search for further prey.
There are two pack sizes of Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer, to treat 100m2 and 500m2.
To Order Nemasys Chafer Grub Killer click here.

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Join the Chafer Grub survey:
Go to www.chafersurvey.co.uk to take part in a survey to identify where chafer grub hotspots (by postcode) are found in the UK.

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