Almost every gardener has seen grub larvae in the soil while installing new plants or tilling the vegetable garden. The term "white grub" actually encompasses the larval stage of several scarab beetles, the most common and most damaging, being the June beetle/masked chafer and the Japanese beetle. Less well-known, are the May/June beetle and green June beetle. All have a grub larval stage that can cause damage to turfgrass. The grubs are off white, with six legs located just behind their reddish-brown head and are usually found curled into a "C" shape in the soil.
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As if 2023 hasn’t thrown gardeners enough curves already - like drought damage in lawns, shrubs, trees and ornamentals – soon it will be Japanese beetle season. Wonderful, that’s all we need!
But we must be realistic and acknowledge the fact – Japanese beetles are here to stay. Once an invasive species like this one comes into an area, there is no good way to eliminate them completely. So, what can gardeners do - especially with an eye toward long-term damage reduction?