Eliminating Lawn Insects 
Good lawns apparently have a particular attraction 
to destructive insects. Japanese, Oriental, Asiatic and 
June Beetles along with Chinch Bugs evidently find good 
turf far better feeding than weedy, neglected grass. 
Fortunately, new and potent chemicals provide good 
insurance against their depredation or effect quick con- 
trol at economical cost. Prior to the advent of DDT, 
arsenate of lead gave good grub-proofing results, but no 
insecticide was fully effective against Chinch Bugs. 
GRUB CONTROL 
Adult beetles lay eggs in lawn sod in the Summer 
which hatch into small white grubs in the early Fall. 
Damage to the lawn results from their feeding on the 
grass roots. Injury first shows up as small brown areas 
in the lawn, only a few inches in diameter. These areas 
tapidly spread as the grubs grow larger and fatter on 
luscious grass roots. With the arrival of cool weather 
in the late Fall grubs cease feeding and move down in 
the soil for the Winter. During the warm days of early 
Spring they again come near the surface and resume 
feeding. Later in the Spring they enter the pupa cycle 
of their life and hatch out as beetles and emerge in late 
June or early July. In this stage they feed on the foliage 
of many ornamental plants and lay eggs again to per- 
petuate the species. 
Diagnosis of grub damage is generally 
easy. One can almost feel grub damaged 
turf under foot when walking over it. By 
taking hold of a small handful of grass 
blades and lifting lightly grub damage 1s 
easily detected. If the turf rolls back easily, as though 
the roots had been cut off, grubs are almost certain to 
be present. Skunks often tear up portions of the lawn in 
search of grubs and many birds feeding on a lawn may 
indicate the presence of grubs. 


Most lawns in this area were grub-proofed with ar- 
senate of lead during the period of heavy Japanese beetle 
infestation in the thirties. Arsenate of lead applied from 
7 to 10 years ago no longer is effective and numerous 

Grub Infested Lawn 
instances of severe grub damage were noted in West- 
chester County in the Fall of 1949. Arsenate of lead, 
while still a very efficient grub proofing material, has 
been largely supplanted by DDT, Chlordane, Parathion, 
Toxophene and Benzene Hexachloride, since they are 
much more economical in cost at present prevailing 
prices. Chlordane is perhaps most widely used today 
for grub control, although all the materials mentioned 
are highly potent, economical in cost and provide pro- 
tection for varying periods of time up to several years. 
Rates and methods of application will be found on the 
manufacturers label for each of these products and all 
may be relied upon for effective control. 
CHINCH BUGS 
Since the early thirties chinch bugs have accounted 
for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to lawns 
along the Atlantic Seaboard. A close relative of the 
lawn chinch bug has caused millions of dollars in 
damage to corn and small grains in the mid-west. In 
1934 they caused an estimated loss of $40,000,000 in 
Illinois alone. 
The first indication of lawn damage 
by chinch bugs is wilting and drying 
of the grass although adequate moisture 
may be present in the soil. Isolated 
small brown dry spots first appear in the 
lawn. In a few days time entire lawns 
in sunny areas may be devastated. It 
is hard to understand how such a small 
insect, only about 1% inch in length, 
often Aifeale to see, can account for so much damage. 
Their number easily overcomes their lack of size. When 
fully grown they are almost black in color with the 
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