When to apply Dylox 6.2 for GRUBS? July?

[mfeele01]

Hi,

I was mowing the yard yesterday and moving some rocks and I saw 2 grubs in their typical 'C' shape in the dirt. There was only about a sq foot of dirt exposed so I'm sure there are more. I did some research and found a product called Dylox 6.2 that has 6.2% trichlorfon dimethyl phosphate...yum.

I'm fairly certain this stuff will do the trick, my question is when should I apply it? The grubs I saw were pretty mature. I know there's a stage they go through that is almost impervious to chemicals. Should I go after the next generation? I'm thinking of putting down the dylox in July.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

[skiingjeff]

My understanding about grubs is that if you have more than 4 or so in a square foot patch of lawn, you have a lot and need to take action more than once a year. If you don't have a big problem, application of Dylox once a year in July usually works.

The timing of putting down the Dylox needs some adjustment based on observing the cycle of the Jap Beetle. They will emerge in June, fly around for a while, then go back into the ground to lay eggs. About two weeks after they lay eggs is probably the best time to apply the Dylox.

Dylox does kill grubs in all stages which is good but you don't want to overdo putting chemicals into your environment unless you have a serious grub problem.

If you do have a serious problem, two applications would be good. One in Spring to early summer and another in the July to September timeframe.

Hope this helps!

[rainbowgardener]

If you didn't want to spread poison around, milky spore is an effective treatment for Japanese beetles. It is a disease that only affects them and is harmless to everything else. It will not be as immediately effective, but once applied, it spreads and grows in the soil and will become more and more effective in following seasons.

[hendi_alex]

We have an unimaginable number of grubs in our lawn. But from my point of view, what the heck. We have no need for a perfectly manicured lawn, and our mix of grasses and weeds seem to do just fine. It is nice to live in the country where everyone is not expected to have a golf course looking lawn. It will be a giant step forward, IMO, if attitudes eventually change, such that homeowners and entire neighborhoods can see the beauty and the advantage of naturalized lawns and gardens which are mostly filled with native/volunteer vegetation.

That said, if we decided to take action, it would likely be via the milky spore route, as is a more natural solution, which is more narrowly targeted, and is a longer term solution.

[mfeele01]

Thanks.

I'm not that good at observing the life cycle. Should I wait until late July or August to put down the dylox?