Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Ugh, another bug whose grub is the rub
So the big news last week, the MN Dept. of Agriculture announced another bug whose grub is the rub! Well, they didn’t put it THAT way, but the European Chafer is a very serious grub pest of turf and can cause more turf damage than the Japanese beetle.
Part of this difference may occur because the European chafer spends a longer portion of the summer feeding on turf. However, adult European chafers don’t eat at all and so are not the problem defoliators that Japanese beetles are. Home lawns, golf courses, and turf growers have the potential to be most significantly impacted if this little beast becomes established in Minnesota.
Tips for your lawn by Michigan State University
Hey Wisconsin, your first confirmed case was in 2016 in Door County.
The grubs have a reddish yellow head with conspicuous legs and a body bent into a C-shape. They range in size from ¼ inch to almost one inch and look very similar to Japanese beetle white grubs. The only way to tell them apart is a close look at their abdomen.
Minnesota and Wisconsin ag departments DO want you to report them if you find them. You can snag that info from the links Minnesota and Wisconsin above.
If you’re the type that doesn’t scream and squish, then take a peek and report it! With the European Chafer more interested in turf, you might consider going back to my lawn alternative episode last week!
Honestly, the Japanese Beetles bug me more than this new pest! At least so far…..
