Grubs are a dreaded lawn pest and can kill your lawn if there is a large enough population. In the past, the only way to kill grubs was with harsh chemicals. Even today, most people control grubs with an application of chemicals in May or June. That chemical sits on the lawn all season and kills grubs when they hatch in August / September. Why use a chemical when there is a perfectly effective natural control for grubs in a lawn? Beneficial Nematodes are completely non toxic and control grubs naturally. We use Larvanem nematodes for dealing with white grubs and this is the default nematode we ship.  

When to Apply Beneficial Nematodes for Natural Grub Control

The best time to apply beneficial nematodes for natural grub control is the early fall or late summer (August - October). The lifecycle of a grub is interesting - all Summer various beetles (including Japanese Beetles) fly around your yard and lay eggs.  These eggs turn into grubs in August / September. At this point the grubs are smallest and most easily killed by our natural beneficial nematodes. So the best time to control grubs naturally is Late August or September.

How do I apply Beneficial Nematodes?

Applying nematodes is pretty easy. The main thing to make sure you do is to apply them in the evening or on a cloudy day and make sure that you water your lawn well after application to help them get into the soil. Simply fill the hose end sprayer with water, add 1/2 the bag of powder, put the lid on and shake it gently. Set your sprayer to apply 2-4 ounces per gallon and start spraying. Spray until your container is empty and then repeat with the 2nd half of the bag. After you're done, put the sprinkler out and water the nematodes into the soil so that they can get to work killing your grubs - naturally. The key is that each bag will cover between 10,000 and 25,000 square feet, it is important that you know the ballpark square footage of the area you're treating so you can make sure to apply the proper amount of nematodes. If you don't know your square footage, you can try measuring it online with findlotsize.com. After you purchase the proper amount of nematodes for your lawn, you'll want to use them right away and use all of them – don't leave any in the sprayer to apply later because they'll be dead later. Get them into the soil where they can survive and kill grubs for you. 

We'll send you a dried powder that should be kept cold until you're ready to use them (fridge works great). We recommend purchasing an Ortho Dial A Mix Sprayer or similar hose end sprayer to apply the nematodes with. One bag of 500 Million Nematodes will cover between 20,000 and 50,000 square feet depending upon how much of a grub problem you have. If you haven't seen any signs of grubs or any grub damage in your lawn, you can use one bag to cover up to 50,000 square feet. If you have noticed grub damage in your lawn or seen grubs in your soil, you probably want to apply at the heavier rate of one bag per 10,000 square feet. 

What Results can I expect from Nematodes?

Beneficial Nematodes will reduce the number of grubs in your lawn by 50 – 75% which should be enough to keep them from causing damage. It may not completely prevent critters like skunks from digging up your lawn though. If critters are your main concern, we recommend applying the heavy rate of nematodes in late august and then using a traditional organic fertilizer (like Pro Gro) for your early fall application. Sometimes the odor of ingredients in a traditional organic fertilizer can scare away the critters.    

Beneficial Nematodes Black Vine Weevil

Noticed your rhododendron's leaves have notches in them and don't look so good? Those notches are a sign that Black Vine Weevil's are lurking in the roots of your Rhododendron and damaging it. A good soaking with Beneficial Nematodes sometime in the late summer or early fall will help solve that problem! 

Beneficial Nematodes for Flea's and Ticks

Beneficial Nematodes don't attack adult flea's and ticks but they do attack the larvae and help keep new fleas from being born. Our all natural Garlic Spray will repel adult fleas and ticks from your lawn and garden and the Nematodes will keep new fleas from being born.