While most of the pests you see in your garden will not harm your flora, some will, specifically if their concentration becomes out of control. The grub worm is one such insect that affects grass owners. These creatures, also known as grub worms, grass grubs, white grubs, or lawn grubs, prey on the root system of lawn grass and can cause a tremendous amount of damage if they are in abundance.

Keeping this in mind, we will be presenting a guide about what grub worms turn into, as well as some interesting facts about their existence.

What Grub Worms Turn Into

You will be surprised to know that grub worms can evolve into a variety of adult beetles, based on their species. They all appear the same as grubs, and you will need a magnifying glass to identify one species of grub worm from the others.

The most common types of beetles found in grasses include the following:

• Japanese Beetles

These beetles were unknowingly transported from Japan and since then have expanded over the United States. The Japanese beetle has become the most common grass pest in the United States, as per the data of the U.S Department of Agriculture. Commencing in mid-summer, mature Japanese beetles devour the leaves of over 300 plant species.

Even while mature beetles only survive for 30 to 45 days, they could cause a great deal of damage. The vivid green head and torso, as well as the brown wing covering, distinguish these exquisite bugs. They also have five white patches about a half-inch thick on each end of their body.

Several attempts have been made to restrict the growth of these beetles using several different methods, namely beetle-eating wasps and bacterial diseases.

• May and June Beetles

Only approximately two dozen species of May/June beetles are considered a nuisance, even though there are hundreds of them. These beetles are black and brown in appearance and measure 1/2 to 1 inches in length. Adult beetles are solitary and only functional for a few weeks annually, thus they are often spotted near lamps on warm nights. The adult species do not inflict substantial damage.

Most of these beetles have a one to three-year life span, depending on the species, and spend most of their time underground in the form of larvae. When observed, they are seen to be larger than the Japanese beetle grub worms and have two adjacent lines of stiff, pointy, dark hair on the bottom of their last segment, extending from the abdomen.

• Oriental Beetles

The oriental beetles, as their title suggests, are just another species accidentally introduced to North America via Asia. Even while these beetles are noisy, they are not quite as bothersome as adults and will cause little harm to your lawn.

Regretfully, the white grubs from which they originate can cause significant damage to your lawn, turning it into a hideous, sparse brown disaster. They are similar in magnitude to the Japanese beetles, but their wing coatings are dark with jagged patches all over the surface.

Adult beetles are only active at night, nibbling on flowers and skeletonizing foliage. Lastly, these oriental beetles can be easily found along the entire east coast, ranging from England to North Carolina.

• Masked Chafers (Northern and Southern)

The north and the south of the United States, respectively, are the habitat of these two types of beetles. Adults do not pose any difficulties because they do not feed during their brief existence. However, their larvae, commonly known as grub worms or seasonal white grubs, create a great deal of harm.

Southern veiled chafer grubs are most typically found in transition regions and southern bermudagrass zones. The Northern masked grubs prefer natural turf, particularly if Japanese beetles have been obliterated. Both species also target the roots of field cereals such as wheat, barley, and maize.

Their appearance is remarkably like other white grub organisms, so recognition requires a close examination of the sequence of hair strands on the last abdominal portion. The hair of this genus is arranged in a zigzag order, making them quite distinctive.

• European Species of Masked Chafers

The European chafer is a destructive pest that can do more damage to the turf than the Japanese beetle. Part of the variation could be due to the European chafer feeding on grass for a longer period throughout the summer.

Mature European chafers, on the other hand, do not feed and hence are not as dangerous as the Japanese beetles are. The adults are about a half-inch large with a tan hue. They resemble the June bugs that are widespread in Minnesota in the mid spring, although they are thinner and lighter in appearance.

Larvae have the distinctive C-shaped form of white grubs and can vary in length from quarter to one inch, with a brownish head and protruding legs. The European chafer prefers arid soils. Golf roughs, household grass, sports fields, and ornamental turf have all been affected by these grubs, quite frequently.

• Asiatic Garden Beetle

The Asiatic beetle, much like its Japanese relative, was accidentally transported from Asia in the 1900s and has thrived in North America. They can wreak havoc as grubs and adults, just the same as Japanese beetles. Adult beetles are nocturnal and driven toward light.

The grownup Asiatic Garden beetle is distinguished by its brown wings and abdomen, which are characterized as a deep chestnut or cinnamon brown color. By biting down rough holes in leaves or ingesting patches of flower petals, these garden beetles can swiftly ruin ideal plants and vegetables.

They will occasionally dwell within a fruit tree and pluck a large number of leaves. Beetle larvae can be common pests of germinating underground corn.

Prevention and Cure of Grub Worms

It is necessary to get rid of these insects to prevent considerable damage in your beloved garden or lawn at home. The secret to grub control is to eradicate them before they develop and pose risks to your lawn.

Grub worms can be controlled with specific pesticides created especially for this purpose. After administering the insecticide, thoroughly water the region and repeat every few weeks to ensure that the insecticide penetrates the ground where the grub worms reside.

Moreover, you can fix dead lawn patches in the grass by overseeding, which is an effective technique used by most homeowners to protect their lawns from damage.

Takeaways

Grub worms are known to transform into beetles which can cause a lot of harm if not taken care of in time. To fix the problem beforehand, you should consider removing them as early as possible or call professionals to get rid of the beetles. All in all, once you are aware of what grub worms can turn into, it becomes easier to control their population.