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White Grubs Guide

Identify

Inspect

Treat

Prevent

Grub Identification Guide

What Are Lawn Grubs?
& What Do They Look Like?

White grubs (lawn grubs) are the larval stage of scarab beetles, developing beneath your turf and feeding on grass roots. This feeding damages your lawn, making white grubs a significant lawn pest. Learning how to identify white grubs will help you manage and control them more effectively.

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Appearance of White Grubs

White grubs can belong to several scarab beetle species, such as Japanese beetles, European chafer beetles, masked chafer beetles, green June beetles, May/June beetles, Asiatic garden beetles, and Oriental beetles. Despite their species, they share many similarities:

Off-white or dirty white in color with brown heads.
Soft-bodied with a "plump" appearance.
Curl into a c-shape when exposed or at rest.
Have well-developed legs on the upper half of their body.
Range in size from about an inch to three inches, depending on their life cycle stage.

Different species of larvae are more common depending on your location. Your local extension office can assist in determining which species is prevalent in your area and help identify the specific grub type in your lawn.

Proper identification is essential for effective control. Ensure you know the type of grub in your lawn before starting treatment, as some products target only specific species.

Grub Inspection Guide

White Grubs vs Other Lawn Issues

White grub damage can often be mistaken for other lawn problems, making diagnosis tricky. However, there are clear signs of white grub activity that set it apart. Recognizing the symptoms of grub damage and properly inspecting your lawn are critical steps in managing and controlling these pests.

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Step1 Look For Lawn Grub Damage

White grubs feed on grass roots, causing distinct signs of damage:

Grass with damaged roots becomes thin, yellow, and eventually dies.
Irregular brown patches appear randomly across the lawn.
Turf feels spongy and lifts easily; damaged roots cause the turf to roll up like carpet.
Grass becomes more vulnerable to drought and other environmental stressors.

Another indicator of white grubs is increased activity from animals such as raccoons, moles, or birds digging in your lawn. Certain wasps flying low over the turf can also signal grub presence. However, since these animals also feed on other insects and worms, it’s essential to inspect the soil for grubs to confirm their presence.

Step2 Inspect Soil For White Grubs

If you suspect white grubs in your lawn, follow these steps to determine whether control measures are needed:

Survey areas with signs of damage. Late summer to early fall (August and September) is ideal for inspection, as grubs are most active and close to the soil’s surface.
Use a spade to cut square-foot sections of turf, about 2–4 inches deep, in several areas of your lawn.
Pull back the turf sections to expose the underlying soil.
Inspect the turf, thatch, and soil closely for grubs.

In general:
Fewer than 5 grubs per square foot is normal and may not require treatment.
More than 5 grubs per square foot indicate the need for control measures.

After inspection, replace the removed turf sections, pat them down, and water the areas to prevent drying out.

How To Get Rid Of Grubs

Treat Active Grubs in Your Lawn

Once you have completed a thorough inspection of your lawn, you can start treating the active grubs causing damage. Ideally, a preventative grub treatment should be applied before egg hatch and lawn damage becomes visible. However, if this window has passed and your lawn is already showing signs of grub damage, you will need to use a curative treatment. Curative treatments target the older, active grubs in the soil.

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Apply Curative Treatment

How to Get Rid of Grubs

Some products are designed to target only the early stages of grubs and will not work on the older ones causing lawn damage. Curative treatments for white grubs are typically applied in late summer after the eggs have hatched and the grubs are active near the soil surface.

Here’s what you should know:

  • Curative treatments remain active in the soil for a limited time, so timing is critical.
  • Most grubs hatch between mid-July and mid-August, making this the ideal period for applying curative products. Check with your local extension office for precise timing in your region.
  • For prevention, apply a preventative grub treatment between mid-June and mid-July to ensure the product is in the soil before the eggs hatch. Refer to our Grub Prevention Guide for recommended products and detailed instructions.
  • Thatch layers in your lawn should be no thicker than 1/2 inch. If the thatch exceeds this thickness, it will need to be removed. Excessive thatch can harbor pests and block insecticide applications from reaching the soil.
  • Use a product specifically labeled for active grubs. Curative treatments are available in liquid and granular formulations. Both are effective, so choose the option that works best for you. Most curative products require watering after application to move the treatment into the soil where the grubs are active. Always read and follow the product label for optimal results.
  • A second application may be necessary to target grubs that were not near the surface during the initial treatment.

Recommended Products

Pro Tip

Milky spore is a popular grub control option, but it only works on Japanese beetle grubs. This makes proper grub identification essential before treatment.

Milky spore comes in two formulations:

  • Granules: Require multiple applications over two years using a spreader.
  • Powder: Needs to be applied only once with a specialized applicator.

Although it takes about two years to see initial results, milky spore remains effective for at least 10 years, providing long-term grub control.

Grub Treatment Infographic

(Click to Enlarge)

Grub Prevention Guide

Prevent Grubs During Early Life Stages

Completely preventing adult beetles from laying eggs in your lawn is challenging. Grub prevention primarily focuses on stopping damage rather than eliminating all grubs. Preventative treatments can target larvae in their earliest stages, stopping them before they harm your lawn. You can also manage adult beetles in your yard to reduce egg-laying, thereby lowering the number of grubs.

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Step1 Control Adult Beetles

Reducing the number of adult beetles laying eggs in your lawn is an effective prevention strategy. Control methods may vary depending on the beetle species.

Using a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, such as Talstar P Professional Insecticide, is highly effective for adult beetle control. Apply it every 3-4 weeks during peak beetle activity to maintain control.

Products we recommend for Step 1

Step2 Apply Preventative Treatments

Preventative treatments should be applied before grub eggs hatch. This ensures the product kills the grubs in their early stages, stopping them before they can cause damage. While preventative treatments provide the advantage of flexible application timing and reduced reliance on sampling, they must be applied before you can fully assess the extent or concentration of damage.

Since most grubs hatch in July and early August, apply preventative products between mid-June and mid-July to ensure they are active in the soil before eggs hatch.

Products containing imidacloprid, like Merit, are ideal for preventative grub control.

If you miss the window for preventative treatment, apply curative grub treatments from mid-July to mid-August when grubs are active in the soil. Refer to our Grub Treatment Guide for curative product recommendations and detailed application instructions.

Products we recommend for Step 2

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