Lawn grubs menacing Bathurst gardeners

By KATE BURKEFeb. 13, 2014, midnight

LAWN grubs have been a hot topic of discussion among Bathurst's gardening enthusiasts, as the pests have been responsible for destroying some beautiful lawns in recent weeks.

LAWN grubs have been a hot topic of discussion among Bathurst's gardening enthusiasts, as the pests have been responsible for destroying some beautiful lawns in recent weeks.

Bathurst Gardeners' Club president Peter Varman said he had received a number of calls from concerned residents whose lawns had been infested by the grubs.

Mr Varman said the grubs in question were the larvae of the Black Lawn Beetle.

"The black beetle lays its eggs into the ground, and as the larvae grow they eat the roots," he said. "When they eat the roots of the grass, the grass dies."

Mr Varman said that the best way to determine if you had a problem with the lawn grubs was to closely examine any dead patches of grass that appeared.

"One of the things that will really show the problem is if you grab the top of the grass and pull," he said. "If it comes off easy, there is something wrong."

Mr Varman noted that a common mistake was for people to simply attribute dead patches of grass to the dry and hot conditions.

"I've had a couple of calls from people saying that patches of their grass have gone brown, and they think it is because they are not putting enough water on it."

Originally posted here:
Lawn grubs menacing Bathurst gardeners