Getting rid of grubs

Hello all!

I was turning over my soil and I kept turning up grubs. Is there something I can put down now to kill them over the winter that won't harm my garden in the spring?

Also, I heard of a product called Milky Spore that will kill them. But it multiplies and spreads throughout the yard and I don't know whether it's good for a garden or not.

Any help is appreciated.

milky spore is great and there are some good threads to read on this subject, somewhere in dg. personally, i put down spectracide granules. i throw them around the garden a couple of times of year because of fire ants but it kills grubs, fleas, ticks, etc. too.

Hello Noobie -- I'm getting ready to apply some Milky Spore to some areas of my lawn and garden where I've encountered grubs (mainly near the roses!). It won't harm earthworms and other beneficial creatures. You can apply it anytime as long as the ground is not frozen. It does multiply and remains effective for 10 to 15 years! Shop around. You can find some very good pricing online.

thanks, guys. Do the milky spore or spectracide granules harm garden plants?

Hi Noobie, Milky Spore will not harm your plants or beneficial insects, butterflies, earthworms, etc. You can use it with total confidence. I've not used the Spectracide granules, but I doubt that they would harm your plants, either. Perhaps another member will chime in on this and give you a better answer. Good luck to you.


This message was edited Nov 8, 2007 12:11 PM

This message was edited Nov 8, 2007 12:11 PM

i've even put the spectracide in pots where the ants were really bad, so no, it doesn't harm plants. obviously the milky spore is a more organic way of going; it just doesn't work on fireants.

Which Spectacide product are you using in pots against ants? Is it the Ant Shield Home Barrier granules?

I really need something like that... big bonus if I can use it on pots that come inside in the winter, especially if it's not a systemic (so that it's OK to use in herb and citrus pots, although that seems unlikely).

I've been thinking about Milky Spore lately, too. I've put down Merit or its equivalent the last couple of springs (good for keeping iris borer away also), and I think it has knocked back the Japanese beetles. Milky spore takes a couple years to build up in your lawn, I believe. But I think you can apply it with a spreader... the old method involved digging way too many little holes and applying it with a teaspoon (I helped my dad do this years ago... it worked, but boy was it tedious).

will any of this hurt my cat? he likes to chew on grass and other things in the yard.

Milky spore is harmless, I'm pretty sure. But one of the reasons I didn't spread Ant Shield all around the house early this summer when the little sugar ants were everywhere was that the warnings on the container seemed to indicate that it would be bad for the cat to get any on his paws by wandering through the garden bed or along the side walkway (which was just an ant metropolis).

do you think spectrcide would be ok? i have found grubs before,but the fleas is what i am more concerned about. i never knew you could put something in the yard that would get rid of or control them....hmmm....learn something new everyday!!

Read the bottle. If the spectracide people are talking about above is the Ant Shield stuff, I seem to remember we decided it sounded a little on the unsafe side for kitties.

thanks, i'll be sure to readthe package!!

I just don't know if the "Specticide" mentioned above is the same as that "Ant Shield" stuff or if it's something milder...

(sorry, I didn't mean to sound like the computer store guy telling you to RTFM... LOL!)

no problem!! i'm just glad to find out that i may beable to save my kitty from getting bit!

the stuff i use is Spectricide triazicide, Once and Done. i'll check in the morning and see what the bag says because they've changed this product over the years (new ingredients and new name) but i use it in the yard where my dog runs.

OK... I think that's different stuff than the Ant Shield we were looking at this spring. Thanks!

the only thing i've found that this stuff won't deter is the small red florida ant. they aren't really much of a problem. they make unsightly little hills in the garden and everywhere else, but i've learned to live with them.

the label states, "keep children and pets off treated areas until product is watered in and lawn is dry".

Thanks so much guys!!!!! Milky spore it is!