The Rural Voice, 2000-06, Page 47Gardening
Those are not cows eating your grass
By Rhea Hamilton -Seeger
A leisurely drive through some of
the towns in southwestern Ontario
would cause a newcomer to believe
that there is a war on lawns.
Large unsightly patches of ground
exposed in the middle of yellowed
lawns. There are even some lawns
that just don't exist anymore. The
ravaged earth lies naked and crying
for cover. Last month I wrote about
how to keep your lawn healthy. As
we all know, a healthy lawn has a
better chance of warding off the
demands of insects. Now we can take
a closer look at a few of the culprits
that are overpopulating our lawns and
wreaking havoc in our otherwise
green and lush world.
The first step is to identify which
insect is causing the problem. I would
recommend a very good insect book.
Check your local library or find a
copy of The National Audubon
Society Field Guide to North
American Insects and Spiders —
great colour pies and a bit about the
life cycles. Once you know what
insect is working on your lawn you
can work to making their
environment less friendly for them.
The damage insects cause results
from the type of feeding they do and
on what plant they feast on. I have
been hearing about chinch bugs and
grubs and sometimes people are
interchanging the problems.
Grubs are the larval stage of a
number of beetles. The grubs are
easily spotted when you turn over a
bit of soil. The June beetle larva or
white grub is c -shaped with a brown
head and three pairs of long legs. To
check for grubs cut three sides of a 6 -
by -6 -inch square in your lawn and lift
the sod back. A healthy lawn can
support a certain number of grubs per
square foot but if you see five or
more grubs you have an over-
population problem.
What to do? First of all the life
cycle will offer some help. The June
beetles that we see flying into our
screens on a summer evening in May
and June are busy laying eggs. The
eggs will hatch in August and begin
feeding on the roots of the shallow -
rooted grasses. It will take three
years for these grubs to develop into
adult beetles.
During the winter months they
head further into the earth and then
come up closer to the surface in the
spring and begin feeding again in
April. Damage begins to show up in
mid to late summer of the second
year. We know that the June beetle
will try and lay her eggs on dry land.
So keeping your lawn well watered
during dry periods of late May and
June will help discourage the female
beetles.
As well as keep your lawn that
much healthier and able to regenerate
new roots. Mow your grass a little
higher to encourage root growth. If
you must apply insecticide read the
labels carefully and seek professional
help. But save your sprays until late
in the summer when the young grubs
have hatched: late August to mid-
September. The soil should be moist
and the grubs small and near the
surface. If you wait until the
following spring then the grubs are
much larger and ready to pupate and
not as easy to exterminate. You
should just save your chemicals.
The next critter is the Hairy
Chinch Bugs. They are very small (5
mm or 1/4 inch). Their bodies are
black and white with reddish -brown
legs and wings that fold over their
backs.
They suck the juices from the
grass causing it to wither and die. So
don't over feed your lawn. Lavish
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growth brings on weak roots and
creates a smorgasbord for these
guys. They will seek out protected
areas under hedges or in flower beds
along foundations for the winter and
lay their eggs in May and early June.
By August they are quite visible. The
nymph stage is reddish brown and
fades to a grey colour as it nears
maturity.
They feed on the area nearest
where they wintered and work their
way out across your lawn. By the hot
dry days of August your lawn
develops sunken dead patches. If you
think you have chinch bugs you can
take a large can, remove the bottom
and push it into the lawn and fill with
water. In a few minutes the chinch
bugs will float to the surface.
Now, how to get rid of them. If
you are planting your lawn or top
dressing consider applying a mixture
of one third sharp builders sand, one
third crushed rock and one third
compost. Healthy lawns will also
discourage chinch bugs. Don't bother
reseeding until late summer. Again
use water to your advantage. These
insects prefer hot sunny lawns such
as football or baseball fields.You can
discourage them with trees and
shrubs to shade your lawn.
Making your environment around
your house pleasant for you may be
enough to turn away some of those
June beetles or chinch bugs.0
Rhea Hamilton -Seeger and her
husband raise two children at their
home near Auburn. She is a skilled
cook and gardener.
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JUNE 2000 43