How To Get Rid Of Beetle Larvae In Soil: 8 Grub Worms Fixes

Beetle larvae can be a bad addition to your garden. Learn how to get rid of beetle larvae In Soil so that your garden can stay in its ideal condition. Read more.

Are you fed up with the presence of beetle larvae in your garden? Getting rid of these pesky grubs can be a challenging task.

Is it good to have grubs in soil?

How To Get Rid Of Grubs worms In Soil

Grubs worms are known to turn soil into a breeding ground for other pests and diseases. They eat organic material, leaving the dirt and soil free of life.

This can lead to problems down the road, such as larger pests or diseases spreading faster than they can be controlled by human workers.

Grubs worms are also known to transmit plant diseases, so it’s important to keep them in check when planting crops.

With the extensive damage that they do to your garden, you may be searching for methods to get rid of the beetle larvae.

You may have tried different methods to eliminate these white grubs. However, we have got some ways that you can get rid of these problems.

Where Do Grubs Come From?

White grubs and beetles, like all creatures, come from eggs. While the process of fertilization between a male and female beetle is not simple, it does happen.

Once fertilized, the egg will travel down a tube called a stamen to the ovipositor. The ovipositor will then insert its long antennal shaft into the female’s egg and start to cook it.

After about 10 minutes or so, there will be an embryo inside the egg. It will grow for about two weeks until it becomes a larva.

  • Beetles vary in size, but all have a number of small body parts that can develop into wings or antennae. The larva is Tiny and lives inside a beetle egg.
  • Beetles belong to the same group of animals that include mosquitoes, ticks, and other biters. Beetle larvae develop inside their host’s body, usually in the blood.
  • The larvae live for a few weeks before emerging to start new lives inside another animal or plant.

How Can You Identify Beetle Larvae?

Identifying that it is a beetle larva is important to carry out the process. There are different kinds of beetles. 

Some of them include the Oriental Beetle, European ChaferAsiatic garden beetle, and Japanese beetle.

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Although these beetles vary from each other, their life cycle is quite similar to each other. They take approximately one year to change, but it takes around one year to turn from eggs to full-fledged beetle.

First, we are going to talk about European Chafer.

1. The European Chafer

This beetle is not very big nor too small – it is medium in size with an oval-shaped body. The color of the beetle is copper or brown.

These beetles are equipped with a small head. When these beetles are fully grown, their length is around half an inch.

These beetles mate at the start of summer. This is the time when they come out and lay their eggs in the soil. In a single month, these eggs can lay around twenty to thirty eggs.

The life span of these European Chafers lasts for almost a year.

2. The Oriental Beetle

The oriental beetle and European chafer are quite similar to each other.  The oriental beetle also mates n the summer. It reaches a size of half an inch in its adult life.

These beetles are in the color of gray and have black splotches on them. The eggs of these beetles take approximately fourteen days for the hatching process.

When they reach the larvae phase, they take their feed from the grassroots present.

3. The Japanese Beetle

This beetle is a bit different as compared to the other beetles. This beetle has metallic shades of green and blue on its body.

 It comprises an oval-shaped body that is equi[ed with copper-colored wings.

These beetles mate in the mid of the summer – this is done after the sunset. The female lays around 20 to 30 eggs, and it takes the eggs fourteen days for the complete hatching process.

After that, it takes a further seventeen to twenty-five days for the beetle larvae to molt. Before they mature, they feed on the roots of the grass.

4. The Asiatic Garden Beetle

When you talk about size, the Asiatic Garden Beetle is smaller than the European Chafer. You can know that this beetle is fully mature when you see that its color is transformed from red to brown in color.

The Asiatic Garden Beetle is found to be active at night as compared to the day. These insects wait till it’s dark in order to mate, and the eggs take fourteen days to hatch.

As soon as the eggs hatch, the little ones are ready to feed without wasting any time.

Signs To Identify The Damage Done By Beetle Larvae

Here are some signs that can help in the identification of damage done by beetle larvae.

1. Discoloration of The Grass

The beetle larvae generally feed on the roots of turf grass. Due to their diet, the grass tends to turn yellow and spongy. When you tug at the grass, it will slide back like you are unfolding a rug.

After the yellowing, the grass will even take the color of brown and will form patches across the garden.

2. Presence of Other Pests

Different pests, like raccoons, skinks, etc., like to eat beetle larvae. You might find them destroying your beautiful garden, searching for these grubs.

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If you see such pests rummaging through the soil, it may be an indication of the beetle larvae. The presence of a lot of beetles and moths can also point toward the presence of beetle larvae.

3. Drought-like Appearance

If your garden looks like it has been hit by drought – even with regular watering, there might be an infestation of grub worms.

Adding extra water would not fix the problem caused by the beetle larvae.

4. The Appearance of Beetle Larvae

The presence of beetle larvae can tell for sure if there is an infestation of them.

For this, you can dig through a square foot of turf. Dig till four inches deep and pull back the square. If you see the beetle larvae on the soil – Voila! You have a beetle larvae infestation.

How To Get Rid Of Beetle Larvae In Soil?

Here are some effective ways to get rid of beetle larvae.

1. You Can Use Beneficial Nematodes

The beneficial nematodes can be used to get rid of beetle larvae.  Purchase the nematodes from a garden store. You can start by adding parasitic nematodes to the garden.

The nematodes may be seen as scary, but they are not dangerous for anyone except for the beetle larvae.

2. You Can Opt for Bacillus thuringiensis var. galleriae

You can use a bacteria named Bacillus thuringiensis (also called Bt) to help you in the elimination of the beetle larvae. One species that effectively get rid of the beetle larvae is Bt galleria.

A common strain of Bt is used in the elimination of caterpillar larvae and butterflies, worms, and moths too.

You can apply Bt to the soil so that the beetle larvae can feed on it. When the beetle larvae consume Bt, it releases a protein that messes with their digestion.

Due to the interference in the digestive system, the beetle larvae stop eating, and hence, they die.

3. Use Neem Oil To Eliminate Beetle Larvae

Neem oil for grubs can be used in to get rid of beetle larvae, too. This natural method can also help you in getting rid of beetle larvae.

If you are fed up with beetle larvae ruining your turf grass, you can use neem oil to get rid of this problem.

This oil helps in inhibiting their ingestion, growth, and breeding capabilities. You can take some neem oil, add water to it and spray it on the parts where you have an infestation of beetle larvae.

4. You Can Opt for Milky Spores

Like Bt; you can also use Milky Spore to your advantage. The Milky Spore is also a naturally-occurring bacteria that helps in killing beetle larvae – especially those of Japanese Beetles.

You can add these bacteria to the garden soil in order to kill the beetle larvae. When the Milky Spore is added in the right circumstances, it effectively kills all the beetle larvae which ingest them.

As the larvae die, the milky spores escape from the dead bodies and continue to attack the remaining larvae in the area.

You need to do proper research about the conditions in which the milky spores should be introduced into the soil.

You should be careful that the larvae are in their feeding stage so that they can consume the spores. The soil also needs a specific temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit for this to work perfectly.

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5. You Can Hand-Pick Beetle Larvae

You can also do some manual labor in order to get rid of the beetle larvae; while it may seem gross, you can collect the larvae whenever you see them and dispose of them quickly.

However, you can not hand-pick all of them. You can just put a tiny dent in the population.

You would definitely require some other procedure in combination with this one.

homemade grub killer for vegetable garden

Growing your own vegetables can be a fun way to get your nutritional intake and environmental impact under control.

But there’s always the risk of using risky or harmful methods to kill pests and diseases.

One option is to make your own grub killer, which can be easily adapted to fit your garden’s specific needs.

Ingredients:

-1 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp black pepper
-dishwashing soap
-6 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

All you need to do is mix a all the ingredients together and add them to an empty can or jar, and place it in a sunny spot in your vegetable garden.

Within minutes, the bait will have killed off any harmful bacteria that may be present.

How To Prevent The Garden From Beetle Larvae

The best way to prevent beetle larvae from the lawn is to eliminate the adult beetles from the soil. You need to strictly monitor the arrival of the beetles and eliminate them before they lay their eggs.

When they are full-fledged adults, they are dealt with like regular pests and can be treated in an easier manner.

You can use some insecticides to get rid of the beetles. You can also deter them with the help of some repellents like pyrethrins.

You can even pick the beetles up and kill them as soon as you spot them – it is an old-school method that still comes in handy.

There are many commercial deterrents that you can use in order to kill the beetles. So, prevention can often be better!

Conclusion

These are some ways that can help you in getting rid of the beetle larvae. Follow these methods so that you can keep the garden grub-free.

The presence of beetle larvae can really ruin your beautiful garden. Hence, you should be vigilant about the pests in your garden and eliminate them so that you can keep it in the best shape.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What Is The Best Time That You Can Choose For Treating Beetle Larvae?

You can treat them in the early fall or late summer. Both times are ideal for treating them.

You have a narrow window before the larvae get older and pupate, and hence you need to make sure you grab that opportunity.

Q: Why Do Beetle Larvae Keep Coming Back?

When the soil gets warm in the spring, the beetle larvae move towards the grass root to continue their feeding process.