I wish this post was about another great BBQ we had in the maintenance yard, but it is actually referring to the high grub activity we are currently experiencing.
When I first started here, we only had to spray 1 tank of preventative grub insecticide on the fairways. The following year we had two spray two tanks and just this past year we have had to spray all of the fairways. The fairways are doing great and now we are experiencing major grub activity in the roughs, green surrounds, and tee surrounds. The concentration of grubs is like nothing I have seen here before or anywhere for that matter.
The grubs in question are masked chafers and they are causing two types of damage. They have chowed on the roots causing some areas to brown out and even die out. The other type of damage is from the raccoon's and crows digging them out of the ground. If we had wild pigs in the property, they would be enjoying the grub buffet as well.
There are chemicals that can be used to treat active grubs, but they are costly and their effectiveness is marginal at best. With lower soil temperatures we will see less activity because the grubs will start to burrow down lower in the soil. Unfortunately we won't start to see lower soil temperatures for a month or so. For now, we will continue to repair, re-seed, and increase the water in the affected areas.
