PesthighApr–Sep

Grub beetle

Phyllopertha horticola

This description was machine-translated.

How to spot it

Grubs are the larvae of the garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola) and usually live for one year, or up to two years in cooler locations, in the soil where they eat roots and tubers. Affected plants wilt suddenly, grow poorly, and can often be lifted out of the earth effortlessly. You can recognize the pest by the C-shaped, cream-white larvae with brown head capsules directly under the turf or in the root zone. In May and June, the adult, reddish-brown beetles swarm and prefer to lay their eggs in short-mown lawn.

Prevention

Keep your lawn a little longer in early summer and aerate it less frequently so that it remains unattractive to the beetles as a place for egg-laying. Promote natural enemies such as birds, hedgehogs, and shrews by providing nesting boxes, leaf piles, and undisturbed corners in your garden. In heavily affected beds, nematode-based beneficial preparations that specifically target the larvae can help, as well as collecting them while digging in autumn or spring. For potato and dahlia, change the location in the bed so that the infestation does not build up in the same spot over several years.