Leatherjackets in lawn

[Jethro_uk]

Following my previous post about Magpies finding a portion of my front lawn irresistible, and receiving the suggestion of "leatherjackets" I looked them up, and looked at the lawn, and agree with the diagnosis.

So, what now ?

1) Do nothing, and assume the magpies are my ally ? 2) Do something ... i) Now ii) At a specific time of year in the future 3) Give it up as a lost cause ?

It's an oddity that out of 130 square metres of lawn, the magpies have visibly concentrated on an area of about 30 square metres on one lawn (I have 3 - 2 front, one back).

Is this "infestation" a symptom of an underlying issue like poor drainage, or just "one of those things" ?

[Malcolm Race]

Try posting on uk.rec.gardening. There are many knowlegeable people who post there

Malcolm

[Jethro_uk]

Done. Thanks !

[ss]

Some info here...

[Jethro_uk]

Thanks, already:

Other signs of leatherjackets in lawns will be birds pecking at the lawn to get at the grubs mainly starlings, though members of the crow family are also partial to a feast of leather jackets - crows and magpies in particular. The birds also do a good job of aerating the lawn, for their beaks can penetrate several inches. It does no damage to the lawn.

sounds quite good :)

[Tim Lamb]

You needed Dursban. A long banned organophosphorous insecticide. Chlorpyrifos or some such.

I don't know if any of the over the counter pyrethrums would help. Cover and pick off looks time consuming. Pet Magpie?

>

[Chris Hogg]

Read here

or if they're chafer grubs, read here