Grub Control in a Landscape

Curative Control

• The University of Florida Extension recommends using trichlorfon as a curative control for grubs after their presence is confirmed. Products that contain the chemical have a short residual activity in soil and need to be reapplied. Trichlorfon is most effective when timed at the second or third growth stage of the grubs. Although the chemical kills the pests within the soil, certain grub species emerge on the soil surface before dying.

Preventative Control

• As the term suggests, preventative control helps reduce the chance of infestation with extended residual properties. Preventative chemicals are recommended for landscapes that have frequent grub problems. Preventative chemicals include halofenozide, thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, clothianidin and chlorantraniliprole. Insecticides with the chemical are most effective when applied a month before the expected hatching to the time when grubs are very young.

Natural Predators

• Grubs have many natural predators that provide effective biological control when introduced in infested areas. These include ground beetles, ants and parasitoids from the Tiphia species. The larvae of parasitic wasps also feed on grubs and kill them. Insect parasitic nematodes from the Steinernema or Heterorhabditis species are available commercially and are highly effective in grub control.

Spiked Shoes

• Walking through the infested landscape area with spiked sandals helps kill the pests without the use of chemicals, according to Barbara Ellis, Fern Marshall Bradley and Helen Atthowe in "The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control." Spiked sandals are available online and through mail order catalogs. The spikes on the shoes are especially designed to pierce and kill the pests as they feed on roots near the soil surface.