A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Grubs and Moles

I had a huge garden and lawn problem last year because of moles. People tell me the moles are hanging around because the lawn must have a lot of grubs. The moles would burrough through my flower gardens and chew the bulbs off plants, push up /up root the plants they weren't all that interested in, and leave ridiculous holes and mazes in the lawn.

Last year, we tried treating the lawn with Grub-B-Gone, but it didn't really work and I am concerned about putting so many chemicals in my yard. We just had our first taste of warm weather and a lot of snow melted, and the yard looks worse than ever.

The grubs themselves don't seem to cause any problems, other than being a food source for the moles. I read some of the archived posts about using an organic treatment (some other live worm-type insect) that will kill the grubs, but maybe this would just give the moles some variety?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Heidi

Milky spore is a more natural control of Japanese Beetle grubs. One application is said to last at least 10 years.

Healthy Highway is one of the suppliers.

hi heidi! my name is renee and i don't know much about gardening but im learning . i just love researching so when i saw your problem online i couldn't help my self. but i don't know how to link and such :p . so the best i can tell you is that on awebsite called wormsway.com they sell what is called a "mole chaser". its a metal windmill that creates a noise that moles can't stand. they also have sprays made of organic materials. so i hope the website will help you out. sorry that i don't know how to connect these two

Grubs...yeechhh! :p

I know a few people that have used nematodes to get rid of grubs. My friend got hers from Garden's Alive and she seems to think that helped alot.

Gisela

Milky spore ONLY works on Japanese beetle larva, ONE kind of white grub. that is if it works... i would be curious so know if anyone has used milky spore, dug the grubs and see actual infection.

anyhow beneficial nematodes are broad spectrum and will kill almost any soil pest.. including fungus gnats, grubs, fleas, black vine weevil, and others....

I use them on my seed starts for fungus gnat control... i got them from www.nematodary.com

Buglady, do you have any info on the effects on adult Japanese beetle populations by using nematodes? The adults are a much greater concern for me than the grubs.

The key to getting rid of moles is by getting rid of their favorite food supply, the grub. But it needs to be done correctly.

Milky spor does not work in most soils as it needs almost perfect conditions for the spor to spread.
A heathly lawn actually attracts the beetles which lay eggs and hatch into grubs.

The best way to do this is by using a product called Grub-ex. It is pretty safe to humans and mammals. This must be watered in within a couple of days after application or it will be useless and have no effect what so ever.

One application will last the entire season, which is good because the grubs are only present during the mid spring and late summer. You can put down the application once the grass is activly growing, but it will not have an effect until the grubs begin to show up. Since the grubs in your lawn will die, the moles will go off in search of them elsewhere. Until then you will just have to live with them.


Hope this helps

Mike

Oh by the way, grub-ex will only work well in the lawn to get rid of the grubs. You would have to use an old fashioned contact insecticde such as dylox to get rid of them in your flower garden

If you are looking for chemical control Grub-ex works well. The active ingredient is imidacloprid, which works on many insect pests. In NY it is becoming restricted use meaning that only licensed spray technicians can apply it. There are concerns of ground water contamination with imidacloprid.

Also some insects, like white flies, have developed resistance to imidacloprid. One other interesting note, they are starting to find that there is a synergistic reaction between imidacloprid and beneficial nematodes. That they work better together then each individually. Imidacloprid will not kill beneficial nematodes because they are not insects.

We had horrible mole problems last year. So far we haven't seen any moles yet. I was reading an article about getting rid of moles and it said to put used kitty litter in their hole. Cats are a enemy of moles and supposively this will make them leave.

Connie