Lawn & Landscape Management

White Grubs and Other Insects in Lawn Turf: Don’t Rush the Application

Print page

Now is the time to plan your preventative white grub programs to maximize control. Here’s how:

  • Timing is everything – regardless of what insecticide you use, best practice is to start applications for grubs when you see the first adult beetles in flight (usually early-July to mid-August), since damaging larvae are observed 1-3 weeks in the future. Plus most damage comes from animals feeding on larger larvae later in summer or fall, so it makes the most sense to apply when adults are present to insure control well into the fall
  • A game-changing grub control solution from EnvuTetrino® is an insecticide that provided excellent control of all white grub species in research trials and real-world use the last two seasons. Tetrino also shows excellent extended activity against other important pests including billbugs, chinch bugs, and caterpillars like sod webworm, cutworms and fall armyworms
  • Apply the right rate
    • A full rate of Tetrino (32 oz/acre) is recommended to ensure season-long grub control. This can be applied as a single application during peak adult flight (mid-June through mid-August), or as a split application (16 oz/acre + 16 oz/acre) in late spring and again in mid-late summer to target a wider range of pests throughout the season. Tetrino will provide 6 to 8 weeks of residual caterpillar control depending on rate
    • With imidacloprid, it is critical the full label rate (0.4 lbs ai/A per year) is applied regardless of formulation. Be careful with some combination Merit/fertilizer products because their high label rate equates to less than 0.4 lbs ai/A. Here are the proper rates:
  • Other insects problematic? – Tetrino's flexibility allows for multiple applications at a variety of rates depending on the insects that are most important:

Timing and rate of Tetrino based on primary insect pests, exact timing depends on local conditions

Timing White grubs Billbugs + white grubs  (+ spring caterpillars or black turfgrass Aetaneuis [BTA) ABW + white grubs (+ spring and fall caterpillars or BTA)
 May    16 fl oz/A  32 fl oz/A
 June      
 July  32 fl oz/A  16 fl oz/A 32 fl oz/A
 Aug      
  • Need more info - Read and follow the label recommendations and contact your Envu area sales manager if you need assistance
pdf icon Lawn solution sheet - billbug - warm season
pdf icon Lawn solution sheet - white grub - warm season
pdf icon Golf solution sheet - billbug - cool season

white grub larve in comparison to yellow ruler disturbed soil

White grub control is largely weather dependent, so optimizing management strategy is critical (Envu)

Zac Reicher

by Zac Reicher , Ph.D., Green Solutions Team Specialist

Tuesday, April 4, 2023