Sod webworms!

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Chassis

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These things are terrible in my part of southeast Pennsylvania. Every year there are people in my neighborhood that lose significant patches of lawn to these things. I have skunks continually digging small holes in my lawn to get at the grubs. I know they are sod webworms because I have seen the moths flying, and have capture them to identify them. Also I have dug up the grub/worm stage in my shrub beds.

To top it off, we have Japanese beetles very bad here, and the white grubs associated with them are horrible. So we have two nasties: sod webworms and Japanese beetle grubs.

I have found that Bug-B-Gone Max seems much more effective than Grub-Ex. In fact, it seems like Grub-Ex is totally ineffective. This is measured by an informal count of the number of holes I see in my lawn from skunks. The BBGM seems to be followed by a reduction in skunk damage.

My lawn treatment program consists of monthly applications of Bug-B-Gone Max, and heavy monthly overseeding. If I didn't do this, my front lawn would be almost eliminated. There are portions of my lawn that have little grub activity, and these look like lush dense green carpets from the high maintenance. However, the heavily affected areas don't look so great.

Anyone else have problems with these things?
 

Chassis

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So I have been putting monthly applications of Grub-Ex *and* Bug-B-Gone Max on my lawn this year. The labels on these bags say that one appliation is good for the whole season. There are still recent signs of damage, and skunks are still digging in my lawn. The damage has been diminished, but not completely gone.

What gives? Does my aggressive treatment program need more time, like a season or two, to eradicate the grubs? I was of the opinion that more bug killer is better, like spraying a whole can of hornet killer in the nest. Maybe it's not that simple.
 

Mort

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Not quite sure of the exact name, but I do use an Ortho (might be Bug b Gone Max) granular product about three times a year (California so no winter season) and have zero pest problems.....ants, pincher bugs, sod worms, etc. Once in the late winter, once in early spring and lastly around now. Occasionally I'll get a spot that looks like it's being eaten from underneath and I've found that if I treat that area with Seven, it all clears up and goes away.

Skunks.....no experience. Gophers from the neighbors yard on occasion but never in the lawn. I figure they must not like the flavor of the bug stuff or the triple sixteen I put down on occasion. The bug granuals I rotate different brands figuring that the critters won't get used to one type.

Mort
 

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Thanks Mort. I'll try spot applications of Sevin, where I see patches been eaten. I'm also going to keep up with the heavy application of the two granular products for another full season.
 
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