Merit Insecticide Question

Steveo, thank you so much for displaying your vastly superior knowledge and for finding sufficiently vile words to describe my rotting intellect and stinking carcass.

Perhaps, o enlightened one, you could now explain how Merit applied too late to kill some of the grubs that hatched this summer would prevent those grubs from burrowing downwards after their summer and early fall feeding, remaining between four and eight inches beneath the soil until next spring, and then rising back up towards the surface in the spring and again feeding on the roots of Peter's grass. (Won't this mean that, in mid and late fall, Peter's grass will appear to be free of grubs, and yet there may be lots of them happily munching away on the grass roots next spring? And isn't the obvious way to prevent this the application of Dylox or something similar now, before those growing grubs do any more damage? No, that can't be right because you have declared:

Reply to
GentleGiant
Loading thread data ...

-snip mindless drivel-

The answer is simple, newbie. Those grubs have already pupated into beetles..get it? Those beetles layed eggs for the next generation, and Peter's merit application will protect his lawn from -those- grubs.

If you don't know what the hell you're talking about, keep your pie hole shut. You do more harm than good!

Reply to
Steveo

Steveo, the "mindless drivel" you snipped is carefully researched and totally accurate. You are the one who is not getting it, so I guess I'll have to spell it out for you very simply.

Adult Japanese Beetles appear in the spring. They fly around. They feed on various plants. They mate. The females lay eggs in the ground, then eat some more plants, then lay some more eggs, and so on until they have laid maybe 50 or 60 eggs.

Typically the eggs hatch in a week or two, releasing small grubs into the soil.

The grubs then feed all summer long on grass roots and other organic material near the surface, and grow steadily larger.

In late September or early October, depending on the location, the grubs burrow 4 to 8 inches downwards into the soil where they hibernate for the winter. Once they burrow downwards the grubs are not eating grass roots any more, but they may find some other organic material to eat, at least for a while.

In early spring, the grubs move back up towards the soil surface. When they find grass roots, etc. they begin to feed again. They haven't eaten for quite a while, so they tend to eat a lot if they get the chance.

Later in the spring, the grubs pupate for a couple of weeks at a depth of two to four inches in the soil. They then emerge as newly formed adult Japanese beetles.

Now let's apply this information to Peter's case, which started this whole discussion. Peter has told us that he applied Merit to his lawn on July 13th.

If Peter applied the Merit early enough to kill all the grubs that had already hatched this year, he should have no problem. The Merit should quickly kill all grubs that hatch later this season.

But if some of the grubs that hatched this year had grown large enough by July 13th to survive the Merit, they will c> Those grubs have already pupated into

you were totally wrong. The only grubs that have pupated into beetles this year are grubs that hatched last year.

Reply to
GentleGiant

- snip cut/paste -

Is late June to early July considered Spring where you live?

You said "grub eggs would lay dormant until next Spring". I Say you're full of shit.

Learn the beetles life cycle before trying to advise people on their control.

Reply to
Steveo

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.