Anyone know what these grubs/larvae are of?

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rupertjboughton@reddit (OP)

NemaSYS ordered on next day. Thanks all.

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Longer term, once treated, keep your lawn longer than you’d normally keep it around the time you start to see crane flies around. When you see them on grass, they’re laying larvae (leatherjackets). If you keep the grass longer, they’re laying can’t get their rear end into the thatch to lay the eggs. Between that and the treatment, you’ll recover the lawn longer than term

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Thx, what time of year do they lay?

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Fluffy-Constant2213@reddit

Late summer/early autumn. You’ll see them land on the grass so start to keep your grass longer by a couple of extra mm. Makes a massive difference

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Thx, I’ll make my mum aware, will save me some effort pushing the mower around

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doctorgibson@reddit

Another reason to be lazy and keep the grass long, cheers!

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RonnieThePurple@reddit

Great product that 👍 Pro tip: Cut the grass super short and aerate the lawn a bit by stabbing it with a pitch fork, then apply it

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girch7@reddit

Cicadas. They’re a great source of protein.

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Alarmed-Method2623@reddit

Just to qualify what everyone is saying. This is my lawn - we had thousands of these buggers that have been eating our lawn for about 2 months. We’ve applied 2 doses of nematodes and I go out each night to squish as many as I can as well. I killed another 200 or so of these tonight (rained this evening so they came out onto the patio). We had turf put down in September/early October. Deal with these asap.

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Vectipelta_Barretti@reddit

Leatherjackets. I’d treat your lawn now with Nematodes otherwise you’ll have no grass left by the time they pupate into crane flies.

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Competitive-Row3488@reddit

Lost all of ours this year not knowing this

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Gunboat_Diplomat_@reddit

February and September for the optimal nematodes treatment (as far as I’ve read)

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

Is everyone getting these bloody things now? I’d never heard of them or experienced them until this year and so far my uncle and nan have had them too

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Vectipelta_Barretti@reddit

I first learned about them after moving into a new build. Massive infestation, lawn absolutely decimated. I originally thought it was a drainage problem but turns out because they’d eaten all the grass, there was nothing to soak up the rain. Guy who came to put treatment down said it’s a massive problem in new build gardens, and they tend to come back every year. But recommended the Nemasys stuff and said to use it in the spring and again end of summer to minimise the problem.

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OkAdhesiveness166@reddit

They are rife, particularly on new build estates. We learnt through experience that they seem to come in via the rolls of turf you get from garden centres, landscapers etc. in previous times the turf was treated with an insecticide to kill then but has since been banned. That means the builders (or your landscaper) bring them in. We treated twice a year (spring and autumn) for 5 years and got on top of it within a couple of years. The only way to avoid is growing grass from seed

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

That would explain why my uncle’s got em as he lives in a brand new house

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

I see, I’ve done two nemasys treatments already

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Weird-End5410@reddit

Double dose with nematodes at this time of year. Do it now and again in two weeks (that's two double-strength doses).

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radeonalex@reddit

Thanks, just bought some and a hose end applicator.

I've started to get moss in some of the grass and see starlings pulling these things out of the garden daily, so they must be near the top of the soil. Always find them when doing weeding.

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Dayzed-n-Confuzed@reddit

Yep. And they are probably busy eating the roots of your grass. You may end up with a very patchy or mossy lawn and a house full of crane flys. (Daddy long legs)

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rupertjboughton@reddit (OP)

Copy that.

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SupportNo9543@reddit

10-4 good buddy

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xeneco1981@reddit

Leather jackets. Crane fly larvae. They eat your grass roots and kill your lawn. Treat with nematodes (but buy the right ones - nematodes are parasitic round worms that will infect the leatherjackets, but other species of larvae will have different nematode treatments).

You can buy the nematodes online, eg Amazon, but they are live roundworm eggs so are fresh and needs to be applied within a day or two of them arriving (usually mix with water and sprinkle using a watering can).

If your garden has fencing, then also apply the nematodes to borders and ensure you get a good treatment under the fencing/walls - as crane flies are lazy flyers, plenty of last years breeding stock will have flown into the fences, dropped the ground and bred there

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JURASS1CJAM@reddit

Slimey yet satisfying

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Own-Pen3465@reddit

Never seen one of these in my 50 years of life 🤔

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kingbluetit@reddit

Please consider not killing them. Yes, they will eat bits of your lawn but nowhere near as bad as others are commenting, and crane flies are essential food for a whole range of species - especially bats and birds. There’s an insect collapse and it’s not going to be long before we properly feel the effects. Rushing it isn’t going to help anyone.

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Jacktheforkie@reddit

They’re in my lawn and it’s straight up unsafe to walk on because of all the damage

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Piff_Pav@reddit

No, they will not eat 'bits', they will destroy the whole lawn and any plants. They will be coming out everywhere and they are ugly as f...k.

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rupertjboughton@reddit (OP)

I appreciate your point. However, I have been struggling with my lawn for ages now, using all manner of products to try and sustain it. I will try the nematodes this year and see if it makes a large enough difference for me to bother next year.
I live in. The country side, next to a large grassy park, so the birds won’t go wanting for bugs.

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Piff_Pav@reddit

Go with nematodes as soon as possible. It may take some time to get rid of them. Also, as the grubs come out, they should attract the birds, so they should help picking some of them.

Also, use nematodes in September, so leatherjackets don't come out next year.

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OneCheesecake1516@reddit

Leather jackets best treatment nematodes. Just water into ground. Ensure you get correct type.

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igcaptinclutz@reddit

kill then with fire

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Dolphin_Spotter@reddit

Leather jackets, or crane fly larvae. Not good.

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rupertjboughton@reddit (OP)

Crane Flys are harmless no? Are the grubs more malign?

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rupertjboughton@reddit (OP)

Ahh. Understood. That makes sense. Was edging the beds and they were falling out of the roots of the grass cut offs.

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