Lawn Pests, Lawn Pest Control, Independent Lawncare and Lawn Treatment Advice in West Sussex, Hampshire, Chichester, Emsworth, Bognor Regis, Waterlooville, Pulborough, Midhurst, Tangmere and surrounding areas

At this time of year I am often called for advice from potential customers who are concerned that their lawn may be affected by typical lawn pests, they may be seeing birds or other animals picking at areas of the lawn or unexplained patches or thinning grass.

The first thing to do is to get a trowel and have a little dig in and around the area you are concerned with, birds are often picking at ants or worms which may be near the surface as its been so wet this spring. The birds also pick at moss and thatch that may be present to help with nest building often providing a very effective "scarification" but only in small areas.

There are other critters that are actually a concern and if the population of them is high can be bad for the lawn. The two main lawn pests that we come across for customers in West Sussex, Chichester, Emsworth, Bognor Regis and the surrounding areas are Leatherjackets and Chafer Grubs

The main methods of control are biological and cultural, as members of the U.K. Lawncare Association we are able to share best practice and learnings from Independent Lawncare experts from across the UK and apply these to the grass types and soils around Chichester, Pulborough, Emsworth and the surrounding areas. Earlier this year, at the Association's conference, we had a very informative presentation from one of the lead scientists at BASF who manufacture the Nematodes that are used to control these problems. I find it's always best to listen and learn from the people who make and field trial products as understanding how they work and creating the environment for successful application is the key to achieving control

Leatherjackets
* what are they?
* How do I recognise them?
* How do I control them?

What are Leatherjackets?
* Leatherjackets are the larvae of the Crane fly (Daddy long legs)

Leatherjacket Facts:
* The adult Crane Fly has long legs with a body about 25mm long.
* Commonly active in the late summer to autumn period with each female laying 200-300 eggs. There can be a smaller amount of activity around May.
* The eggs hatch into larvae, called leatherjackets within about 14 days and remain in the soil for about 9 months before pupating into next season's Crane Fly.
* The Leatherjacket exists in the soil from the autumn to the following spring in your lawn, by eating the stems of your grass plants. This results in the lawn beginning to turn yellow and die back in areas.
* Damage generally becomes noticeable during the spring caused by the feeding that occurred the previous autumn and winter.
* Secondary damage from birds, badgers, foxes, moles and other small mammals searching and pecking for larvae may become evident.

Solution
* Keep a look out for Crane Fly activity throughout the late summer. The time to act is two to three weeks after that activity when the young leatherjackets are most vulnerable to control.
* Monitor your lawn in the autumn for larvae activity and secondary damage.
* Call Lawnrite for advice or follow the control methods below.

Control
* There is a manual way which you can use to try to catch and remove the pests, this involves covering the lawn area with a black plastic sheet or damp hessian sacks at night in damp conditions. Peel back the sheet slowly in the morning and collect up the surfaced leatherjackets. Make sure that you peel back the sheet slowly, for if you just peel it right back, some of the leatherjackets will escape back down into the lawn to get away from the daylight.
* There is also a biological treatment available for controlling leatherjackets in lawns, flower beds and vegetable plots. This is a pathogenic nematode, which is watered into the turf or soil. The nematodes enter the bodies of leatherjackets and infect them with a bacterial disease. To be effective, the nematode requires soil that is well drained but moist and with a minimum temperature of 12°C (54°F). The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with larvae spreading out from infestation “hot spots” in the lawn. However, by the time areas of infestation become apparent, the soil may be too cold for nematodes to be effective.
* As a preventive measure, you can apply nematodes in September to early October. It’s important that Nematodes are applied as soon as possible after purchase; make sure you follow the suppliers’ instructions for use. You may find you need to water the lawn before and for two, three even four weeks after application to ensure the soil is sufficiently moist for nematode activity and for them to survive.
* The product also needs to applied when there is no direct sunlight so early morning or evening is best as the Nematodes are susceptible to sunlight.
* Aeration and / or scarification before application can help as surface and sub surface thatch can hinder the passage of the product down to the area where the pest is to be found.
* Application of Nematodes does not need a licence and they are readily available from various suppliers and as there is a continued need to keep the ground moist following application there is little need to ask a professional to apply the product, thats why we advise our customers it's better and most effective to apply this product themselves so long as they follow the instructions
Once the grub population controls are in place we can help bring the lawn back to life.
* Currently no pesticide's are licenced for use for the control of these pests on lawns

Grub Damage Can Be Extensive

Chafer Grubs
* What are Chafer Grubs?
* How do I recognise them?
* How do I control them?

What are Chafer Grubs
* Chafer Grubs are the larvae of the Chafer Beetle
* Chafer Grubs like sandy soils that why we often find problems around Pulborough and in particular West Chiltingtom in West Sussex

Chafer Beetle Facts:
* Chafer grubs are the larvae of at least five different species of chafer beetle.
* These grubs live in the soil just beneath the lawn.
* Both larvae and adult beetles can attack the grass plant.
* Chafer grubs are C-shaped, soft larvae, up to 40mm long with a brown head and six legs on the upper end of the body.
* Commonly active during the late summer and through to spring.
* Chafer grubs feed on the roots, stems and sometimes leaves of the grass plant.
* The grass may appear yellow or brown before wilting and dying.
* In severe cases the root system will be so damaged that you can pull the turf up like a carpet.
* Secondary damage from birds, badgers, foxes, moles and other small mammals searching, pecking or digging for larvae will be evident on your lawn

Solution & Prevention
* Monitor your lawn as the weather warms up for larvae activity and secondary damage.
* Call Lawnrite for advice and / or follow the control's below.
* You can purchase Garden Chafer Traps which use Pheromones to attract the adult beetle of this common species, these are positioned in May and can be used to indicate the level of and reduce the number of beetles and therefore the number of grubs that are likely to be present in the autumn.

Control
* As with leatherjackets there is also a biological treatment available for controlling chafer grubs in lawns, flower beds and vegetable plots. This is a pathogenic nematode, which is watered into the turf or soil. The nematodes enter the bodies of grubs and infect them with a bacterial disease. To be effective, the nematode requires soil that is well drained but moist and with a minimum temperature of 12°C (54°F). The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with grubs spreading out from infestation “hot spots” in the lawn.
* The treatment is most effective applied from August to early october when soil temperatures are high enough. It’s important that Nematodes are applied as soon as possible after purchase; make sure you follow the suppliers’ instructions for use. You may find you need to water the lawn before and for two, three even four weeks after application to ensure the soil is sufficiently moist for nematode activity and for them to survive.
* The product also needs to applied when there is no direct sunlight so early morning or evening is best as the Nematodes are susceptible to sunlight.
* Aeration and / or scarification before application can help as surface and sub surface thatch can hinder the passage of the product down to the area where the pest is to be found.
* Application of Nematodes does not need a licence and they are readily available from various suppliers.
* Currently no pesticide's are licenced for use for the control of these pests on lawns,
* As the life cycle of these grubs can be a number of years its best to repeat the treatment for several years as its the younger grubs each Autumn that you will be controlling and reducing the population each year.
* Once the plan to control the population is in place we can help with the process of restoring the lawn to its best