[barley]

is it just me or are we having a leather jacket ( grub ) invasion this year ? ........ their everywhere on my plot and destroying everything  ......... any tips welcome to help combat this awful pest 

I come from monmouthshire

[suesowsseed]

Hi Barley, 

You could try covering an area with plastic when conditions are wet.  They should come to the surface overnight and you can remove them in the morning or there is a nematode called Steinernema feltiae you can water on to get rid of them.

Did you dig the area over to expose the overwintering grubs? Birds will eat them and do the job for you 

[Salmo]

Hi Barley, 

You could try covering an area with plastic when conditions are wet.  They should come to the surface overnight and you can remove them in the morning or there is a nematode called Steinernema feltiae you can water on to get rid of them.

Did you dig the area over to expose the overwintering grubs? Birds will eat them and do the job for you 

The eggs will have been laid on grass last Summer. That is probably in your grass paths but could be on couch or other weed grass on your plot. They will stop feeding soon and pupate ready to emerge as Daddy Longlegs in August and lay their eggs. Nematodes are quite expensive and I doubt whether it is worthwhile now as the leatherjackets will soon stop feeding anyway.

Catching them under plastic is a good idea. Also, have a dig in the soil close to any damaged plants because they will not be far away. Hunt them out and kill them. Leave them and they will move on to the next plant

[barley]

thanks both

I have chooks who love to rid the soil of grubs when we dig , but this year the numbers  are on a biblical plague scale 

I walked up the gravel path last night and picked up about 50 grubs in 5 mins ..... ( I saved them in a jar for chookys breakfast    )

I have never seen numbers on this scale , it must just be an awful year for them

[sunshineband]

The more you pick up for the chooks the fewer there will be to lay eggs for the next brood.

Sometimes these population explosions seem to have no real explanation behind them 

[barley]

148 picked up tonight

chooks will be pleased LOL !!!

[Salmo]

148 picked up tonight

chooks will be pleased LOL !!!

If there are such large numbers they may not be leatherjackets. The lavae of bibionid flies ( St.Marks fly or Fever fly) are similar but smaller and thinner. When they occur they are usually in large numbers as the flies lay 30+ eggs in the same place.

linky

edited to mend long link