GRUBS

PROBLEM:  In August and September the grass turns brown in large irregular patches.  Brown areas of grass roll up easily like a carpet.  Milky white grubs from 1/8 to 1 inch long, with brown heads and three pairs of legs, lie curled up in the soil.

ANALYSIS: Grubs are the larvae of different kinds of beetles, including May and June beetles (also called white grubs) and Asiatic, Japanese, and masked chafer beetles.  The grubs feed on the turf roots and my kill an entire lawn.  The adult beetles do not damage the lawn, but the females do lay eggs in the soil.  May and June beetles lay their eggs in the spring and summer.  The Asiatic, Japanese, and masked chafer beetles lay eggs in mid to late summer.  The eggs hatch and the grubs feed on roots 1 to 3 inches deep in the soil.  In the late fall, they move deeper into the soil to over winter and resume feeding in the spring.