Japanese Beetle grub control

I'll be plagued by Japanses Beetles if I don't treat the lawn for grubs, but I want to avoid chemicals. has anyone found any effective organic treatment.

Milky spore is a common organic treatment, and I believe there's a species of beneficial nematode that will take care of them too. I'm not sure what the advantages are of one vs the other.

Milky spore has worked well for me - I buy it in large bags, b/c I have a large yard. Takes a few applications to get the spores established, & is expensive, but I've read that they'll continue to live for 10 years or more, so it is a long-term investment. I use my fertilizer spreader, & wear a mask - I don't want any of those to grow in my lungs! Samantha

thanks I wonder if I can get the Scotts lawn service to spread that, instead of the poison they're probably using.

I don't know that you'd be able to get them to use anything but Scott's products. If you had an independent lawn service then you might have some leverage but with Scott's I would guess you won't. They do have an organic lawn care service option if you want to get a little less poison--I'm not sure if it's available in all areas or not though (and it still wouldn't include milky spore...but at least the stuff they do put down would be a little nicer).

We apply beneficial nematodes for the grubs. It doesn't totally knock 'em out, but it has cut down on them drastically. When we first moved in to this house, we did 4 applications, one early spring, one mid spring, one early fall, and then one late fall. The next year, we did 3 applications, then last year, we only did 2 applications. You can find nematodes at many organic nurseries, feed stores, and lots of online places.

Nematodes also help with most soil-borne pests like ants, fleas, ticks, roaches, and termites.