Interested in hearing experiences of those who have used milky spore to reduce or eliminate lawn grubs.

My neighbors have a raging infestation of those little white plump grubs (working on specific ID). They have a newborn and a toddler, so ugly chems are not an option. The racoons have been busy and are much appreciated, but of course are also ripping up the turf and actually don't seem to be a match for this population. Raised veggie beds are in the lawn area. They don't have chickens.

Love to hear about other low impact control methods that work.

And please, suggesting that they rip out the lawn will not be helpful. Thanks.

After reading of these issues, I am so happy to have Ibis here! They visit our yards regularly, eating all of those grubs! I wish I had another option for control.
Sadly I don't. But I'm also interested in what others might have to offer.

Alas, no tropical beauties here. Ground-feeding thrashers and roadrunners might be helpful. I did half-seriously hint about chickens, but this is a small urban yard, not practical.

Milky spore was the option I choose . It's only effective against Japanese beetles. It's a simple process… every square foot inject the lawn . Directions on pkg.
No more raccoons digging up the lawns. Some lawn winterizing applications also help with grubs.

Thank you Bea. I'm pretty sure that's what I see my garden occasionally. I'll need to ID theirs. Are yours like this?

Of course it's a match …just like a poster …Wanted dead or alive Japanese beetles.
This is a good time of year to inject the lawns. It's a one time treat for the larvae.

Here's a better mug shot for the Wanted poster! 😄

Great shot… macro pic..caught the lower jaw and fantastic neon green …those claws… the plants don't have a chance…
Wow with pics like that you could do a whole calendar just of insects mug shots..

thanks for the nut, Bea!

… your mug shots are worth a few giggles. And …I needed that..

Ya know, could you look again? The 'Japanese beetles" I've known all my life have a green thorax and shiny brown wings.

They cause me minod damage but I have big problems with leaf feeding by another asiatic beetle- smaller and solid brown.
Let's make sure the milky spore is even going to touch the target insect.
Link for picture only
https://www.gardentech.com/ins...
Then I think I've read, pay attention to timing of application.

I would not want chicken patrolling if the baby/toddler may also be crawling on the lawn.

Thank you for the link. They do look different, and the article describes different behavior than mine.
I have not yet identified the grubs in my neighbor's yard. The pictures of beetles I asked Bea about are from my garden, usually around my compost bin...and since I don't have lawn, they could well be different.

Just used an ID app. Mine are fig-eater scarab beetles. An article says that Japanese beetles are more likely found in the eastern states. Hm. The grubs are more difficult to ID than the beetles. Obviously more research is needed.

Fig eaters are twice+ the size of 'japanese beetles'. We have some of them too.
Cute article off topic lol
https://nhm.org/stories/when-f....

Lawn chemicals made my cat deadly sick. So we tried milky spore as an option. The results were remarkable. Only used it one time, and then never had grubs again for years.

Thank you Christie. Lawn chemicals are not an option here. This is one of the (many) difficult things about lawns... natural upkeep is challenging in the face of destructive infestations.

@Sallyg, Yes! They careen around like drunken sailors and sound like rocks when they hit the windows! I also see the smaller brown June bugs.

What do you do with a fig eating beetle, what do you do with a fig eating beetle..🎶

In my state, you can't buy milky spore, as we have (almost) no Japanese beetles, so it's not licensed for use in Utah.

We do have plenty of white grubs that the spore won't affect.