Looking at insect larvae is a rather unpleasant thing. Imagining what horrible creatures will hatch from them is even more frightening. Insects disgust some people, but in case they harm your garden or home, it goes as far as anger. If you face a problem of pests, you should take care of their larvae in time. But when to apply grub control and how? Let’s figure out how to spot grub damage and when to start taking action.
Choosing The Right Time to Apply Grub Control
Many gardeners are familiar with the problem of annual infestation of their crops with the larvae of various insects. It is very difficult to nail the moment of their appearance, but it is recommended to destroy the larvae at the first signs of infestation: yellow leaves, holes in the leaves, a strange white plaque.
How to spot grub damage?
The larvae of most house insects are usually white, and you may see them on leftover food, clothing and other items. Finding larvae in a vegetable garden is a little more difficult because mite larvae, for example, are similar in color to foliage. However, you may easily discover them by careful inspection of a diseased tree or flower. Domestic insects can lay eggs at almost any time of the year. Garden types lay eggs in the late spring and summer seasons.
When is it too early to apply grub control?
Never. Especially, If you just spotted it. Insects are very tenacious, so you should not be afraid to apply preventive measures at home once every six months, but you should take precautions not to harm your neighbors, children and, especially, animals.
When Is The Best Time to Take Measures?
When to treat for grubs? It is necessary to start fighting from the very first day. Steps of any kind can bring a lot of problems – hit the grub control timing.
Preventing
Do not be afraid to use preventive measures at home, but do not overdo it as you will harm not only larvae and insects. Once every six months is a great option. In the vegetable garden, simply watch for signs of infestation, take care of the plants daily, and enrich the soil with nitrogen and water. Here are some tips that may help you to prevent larvae:
- Feed beds with nitrogen. Larvae are sensitive to this element, which is why they rarely appear in soils rich in it. It is vital for plants, without it normal plant development is impossible, because it is responsible for nutritional processes.
- Grow special plants, such as white clover. On its root system there forms nodule bacteria. It assimilates nitrogen from the air and makes it available to all plants located nearby. As a result, the larvae will have to find a more comfortable place to live.
- Engage birds and animals. Hedgehogs are active hunters for larvae. They are capable of destroying a large number of pests. Birds (rooks, starlings and thrushes) also do not mind eating larvae. However, we should not forget that they can do harm to your plants by eating berries.
- For fruit plants, trees, you can use a solution of copper sulfate with vinegar or water, diluted in a ratio of 1:1. Just ripping off maggots with your hands is a foolish thing to do. You’ll just get tired and there won’t be any fewer insects. Best time to apply grub killer – mid-spring or early summer.
Killing
You shouldn’t put off destroying larvae until the next day, because of the damage to clothes, food, plants and sometimes because of a danger to your health, especially, if you have cockroaches in the house. All clauses stated above in the “Preventing” paragraph can also be applied for getting rid of larvae. However, you may face a problem of larvae inside the house, and here I have a separate instruction that may help you.
Getting rid of larvae at home
The most destructive insects that may live in your house are cockroaches and moths.
Cockroaches breed in kitchens and bathrooms because they like damp places and eat food leftovers. Moths can breed in a person’s home all year round, eating all the contents of closets. Some species of moths settle in kitchen cabinets, damaging all food. It is not easy to get rid of insects in the apartment, but it is easier to prevent their appearance by taking precautions. These pests eat everything: wool, feathers, felt, fur, bookbinding.
Thus, to get rid of insect larvae at home, you should follow these simple rules:
- The most effective way is, oddly enough, to make the apartment completely clean and orderly. Such measures will not work immediately, but in the long run will create unbearable conditions for the cockroaches to live.
- Control the humidity. If it becomes drier in the apartment, the arthropods will stop reproducing and may leave the room at all.
- Ventilate the bathroom more often by opening the door at night. Eliminate mold.
- Seal cracks in the walls, at the joints of the tub and walls, near doors, where arthropods get in.
- Install mosquito nets on windows and vents.
- Take out “domestic” insects, the main food of millipedes.
- Clean up the area around the house (remove piles of garbage, last year’s rotting leaves, old junk).
Many chemicals work well against cockroaches and their larvae, including the common pesticides.
When to use grub killer and should I use it? You should start fighting larvae as soon as they are detected. Otherwise, your crops will suffer considerable damage. Experienced gardeners and horticulturists use different methods.
What to do after putting down grub control pesticide?
Just watch your vegetable garden develop. If the signs of infestation don’t go away after a week, try other methods or store products. However, don’t forget about early prevention in the future.
You can also use simple pesticides after, for example, GrubEx. It makes no sense to use the pesticide in early spring, the insects simply will not have time to consume its pellets.
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When to apply GrubEx? As stated on the manufacturer’s website, the best time is spring or early summer (June-July). During the rest of the months it makes no sense to do grub control.
When to put down grub killer? If no signs of larvae are found within two weeks, you can stop the treatment.
FAQ
Let’s consolidate the information and answer the most popular questions:
How often should you apply grub control?
As previously stated, once a month during the gardening season, and every time larvae are detected at home.
Can GrubEx be applied in the fall?
It can, but the result will have low efficiency. It’s not recommended using the pesticide in late fall. The best option is to use GrubEx in mid-spring or early summer.
Do you need to apply grub control every year?
Unfortunately, yes, it is highly recommended. Grub control is necessary for the prosperity of your vegetable garden, plants. No one wants to eat rotten apples, dead carrots and other goodies.
When is it too early to apply grub control?
Without signs of larvae on your plants, it is not recommended to use grub control. Apply it only when larvae appear.
So, When Should I Take Measures Against Larvae?
Grub control must be regular and on time both in the house and in the vegetable garden. Otherwise, after beautiful little creatures hatch, all your provisions will turn into useless garbage, including clothes and even vegetables.
Always be on the lookout for grub control in the vegetable garden. Grub control is an annual and mandatory procedure if you want a tasty harvest. At home, do not neglect folk remedies to combat maggots because they can harm you even more than the plants.
Share your thoughts about the topic in the comments below. What grub control methods do you use? When?
