What are White Grubs?
White Grubs, also known as Grub worms or curl grubs, are the larval stages of different beetles including the Oriental beetle, the Japanese beetle, European chafer beetle, and the masked chafer beetle, and are commonly found in turf lawns and ornamental plants. They damage the lawns by eating up the root system of grass and the damage caused may seem to be drought stresses like wilting and drooping. White grubs normally measure a quarter to half an inch in length. They possess a thick body, which is C-shaped, and short legs. Their front legs are normally stout and adapted for digging. They are cream-white or yellow in color with brown heads bearing clubbed antenna which is composed of lamella which are used to sense odors.
Adult beetles are usually the size of a baby's fingertip. When unearthed, the white grubs look lifeless but after a short while they start crawling very slowly as they look for more soil to find cover for themselves. Beetles normally lay their eggs in soil that is warm and moist especially during summer. When the eggs mature, they hatch in the form of grubs. The grubs feed on the roots in the lawn as they grow and attain maturity. When fully grown they are called beetles which are nocturnal in nature.
Towards the end of the month of June, adult beetles normally come out
of the ground for two main reasons; to look for food and to mate. In
two weeks time the female beetle will lay up to 60 eggs in soil. The
eggs stay inside the soil and after about two weeks, they are ready to
hatch. The grubs, which are larval stages, remain in the soil as they
grow to maturity. As they stay in the soil, their food is the roots of
grass, which they feed on. At the time when they feed, the grubs are
closest to the surface so normally this is the most appropriate time to
apply any form of treatment. Towards the end of fall, as the weather
turns cold, the grubs start going deeper into the soil where they
hibernate throughout the winter period. Then towards the end of spring,
the grubs move back up in the soil towards the surface of the ground
where they turn into pupae. Finally, towards the end of June, they
emerge as adults and they are ready to come again out of the soil to
feed and mate.
Turf, which is heavily infested, has a gray-green color and when the sun is hot, the grass wilts. Odd patches and sized patches in plants may be seen because of the grubs feeding on roots. As the grubs tunnel in the soil, the turf starts to become spongy and can be easily rolled back because the roots, which hold the turf, firm in the soil, are fed on.
A high population of grubs will attract predators such as skunks,
opossums, armadillos, raccoons, and moles among other mammals. These
mammals have the ability to hear the grubs crawling and tunneling in the
soil. They therefore dig into the turf as they look for the white grubs
to feed on hence damaging the turf. So white grubs are food for
mammals.
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White Grubs, also known as Grub worms or curl grubs, are the larval stages of different beetles including the Oriental beetle, the Japanese beetle, European chafer beetle, and the masked chafer beetle, and are commonly found in turf lawns and ornamental plants. They damage the lawns by eating up the root system of grass and the damage caused may seem to be drought stresses like wilting and drooping. White grubs normally measure a quarter to half an inch in length. They possess a thick body, which is C-shaped, and short legs. Their front legs are normally stout and adapted for digging. They are cream-white or yellow in color with brown heads bearing clubbed antenna which is composed of lamella which are used to sense odors.
Adult beetles are usually the size of a baby's fingertip. When unearthed, the white grubs look lifeless but after a short while they start crawling very slowly as they look for more soil to find cover for themselves. Beetles normally lay their eggs in soil that is warm and moist especially during summer. When the eggs mature, they hatch in the form of grubs. The grubs feed on the roots in the lawn as they grow and attain maturity. When fully grown they are called beetles which are nocturnal in nature.
White Grubs Life Cycle
Turf, which is heavily infested, has a gray-green color and when the sun is hot, the grass wilts. Odd patches and sized patches in plants may be seen because of the grubs feeding on roots. As the grubs tunnel in the soil, the turf starts to become spongy and can be easily rolled back because the roots, which hold the turf, firm in the soil, are fed on.
What Are White Grubs To Mammals?
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