Milk spore for grubs

Hello. This is my first time posting here and I don't know whether this topic has been discussed previously. I have a new backyard garden as of April. I've noticed a large number of grubs in the soil when I till it. So far, I've (laboriously) hand picked and thrown them away. First I tried spraying with a 15% amonia solution as I do for slugs (hoping this would work), however I think they actually liked it. I'm a bit squeemish when it comes to stomping on snails and creepies, so I would like some althernative method to get rid of them. I've read that milk spore is a good choice. Has anyone used this and is it considered organic?

Ginny

It does work, but has a delayed effect on the bettles those grubs will turn into. The Milky spore will attack the grub larva in it's early stages, thus stopping the growth to adulthood.....no adults no new eggs, and no new grubs next year.
Good Luck!

Will the milky spore hurt anything else? I have tons of grubworms, but can't really tell if there are actually too many. I don't have grass that I can pull up like is usually described. I find them in the flower beds too but don't know that they are hurting anything, just eating a little. ??

Bacillus bacteria come in many different strains developed to attack several different garden/agricultural pests.
Milky Spore was designed to attack white grubs (Japenese beetle).
Here is a link to help better explain what bacillus bactirium is and how it works.

http://www.biconet.com/biocontrol/bpopillae2.html

Garden Way grub a way works great - had a yard full of japanese bettles and grubs of all descriptions. Bought it - kind a weird - it came on a sponge. So essentually it was a faith purchase
- they shipped me what appeared to be a damp sponge. I followed the directions - soaked sponge in warm water for a few minutes - took water sprayed yard. This was in the fall. Never saw another beetle - even though other people on the street would make comments about the amount they had.

What ever was on that sponge ate grubs. Ad said it was beneficial nematodes but since they were invisible I had to take their word for it.

Yes, beneficial nematodes are sold like that. I have done that with some that came in a package before, but I don't think anything happened. I have no idea if they were alive or really there tho! lol It was such a pain to do so I've put it off but should just do it again. After all, they are very useful.

well hard to tell if they are dead or alive if you cannot see anything. It was weird - so weird I think it was my imagination

I too bought some beneficial nemotodes that were sold in a sponge-type product. Unfortunately, I never applied it and it's still sitting on my counter. How long do you think that sponge will be effective? It's been about 6 months or so since my purchase.

I also sent away for some of those nematode sponges. I kept it it my fridge for awhile and by the time I got around to spraying it per the directions I had little faith that it would work. It didn't either, but maybe I kept it in the fridge too long. I think I'll order some more and get it out there as soon as I receive it. Anything that helps with japanese beetles is worth it.

Has anyone tryed the Milky Spore from www.jerrybaker.com ?

Roxroe
That is soo funny!! I felt the same way. My mother asked me what I was doing, and how did I know they were in there. I felt really rediculous and we laughed as I sprayed the suspension. Later digging new beds, I saw a LOT of tiny worms, I hadn't seen before. They were everywhere I dug where I put the susp. Maybe they were always there and I never noticed.

I used beneficial nematodes from Garden's Alive on a major grub infestation. Either it worked because I applied it two years in a row or, it took two years to work. Total success. I also tend to order stuff and not use or plant it right away. I think its because I over estimate how much time I have for my gardening!

Don't we all!!!

The problem with nematodes is that they're alive and need to be used right away.

I think a combination of milky spore and nematodes would work well, the nematodes working right away and the spore working over time. Milky spore is said to work for ten years, but I assume that once you have no more grubs, you would have no more milky spore....

I found the Milky Spore in a granulated form at a local Agway store. The package says to apply Spring, Summer and Fall for two years and then you should be good for about 10 years or so. This is the first year I am trying this, so I don't expect to see any results this year. I've had lots of problems with Japanese beetles the past few years, so I am hoping it works. It says it is pet safe, which is a big plus for me. I try avoid chemicals since we have pets and we also have well water.

The only problem with Milky Spore is that if your neighbors don't use it, it isn't as effective. When I was a child, there was a huge JB problem in our community. The community as a whole went in together to treat w/ Milky Spore. There wasn't another JB there for over fifteen years. But, like I said, that was a community effort: every yard and public area was treated. I too would go for a combination of MSpore and nematodes.

What do you do when you have 5 acres?
Does anybody know the eggs laying habits of the beetles?
Do they go into the soil to lay their eggs around your flowers or what?

They go into the soil. Everywhere. They feed, I believe, on grass roots and such, but I also find them by the hundreds under mulch.