The cockchafer larva is a white worm which causes serious damage to the garden. The problem is that the critter is rather tough since it can reside in the ground for a good three years, feeding on the roots of plants. She’s also damn voracious. So it is necessary to get rid of the cockchafer larva. But what are the best solutions to eradicate this white grub in the garden without chemicals? The answer in detail.
How to spot the presence of the white grub?
Certain signs should alert the gardener, such as the yellowing of certain plants or the fact that crops vegetate. This can indeed testify to the presence of beetle larvae in the soil.
We can also fear the installation of white grubs in the garden if we regularly see beetles… In any case, it is essential to react as quickly as possible, that is to say even before deploring insurmountable damage on its cultures. Do not hesitate to work the soil with a spade to check that white grubs are indeed present at the foot of each of the suffering plants.
The best natural solutions to eliminate beetle larvae (white grubs)
All beetle larvae must be eliminated. To do this, there are several ways effective naturalwhich makes it possible to have no negative impact on the environment and health.
Give grubs to gardener-friendly animals
We can put the enemy larvae in a container to leave visible, because they will soon be eaten by hedgehogs and birds of the sky for which these white grubs are a delicacy. But it is also possible to distribute them to your chickens. These are simple solutions that are, moreover, very useful.
Use a Larval Killer Mushroom
This is the case of Beauveria brongniartii whose action is very effective on white grubs. It should simply be incorporated into the soil of culture during the spring after having procured it in stores intended for gardening.
Drop parasitic worms that feed on cockchafer larvae
This is the case of :
- Steinernema carpocapsae,
- Steinernema feltiae,
- Heterorhabditis bacteriophora.
These microscopic worms are the gardener’s friends since they feed on many insects causing havoc on all kinds of plantations. They fall into the category of garden helper nematodes. It is easy to get them in a pet store where they are packaged in small bags. The mixture contained in these pouches is diluted in water according to the instructions on the packaging, and then all you have to do is spray this liquid into the ground, where the contamination by the beetle larvae has been identified.
From this moment, the micro nematodes invade the white grubs, insert themselves into their organism and then simply feed on them after having poisoned their enemy hosts. In less than ten days, we can thus be rid of the white grub.
Preventive control of white grub, beetle larva
Since prevention is better than cure, you might as well act upstream to preserve your plantations. The good idea and to resort to a spray of nematodes to preventive title. There is no need to fear beneficial insects and micro-organisms since nematode worms only attack enemy larvae.
Another solution is to prevent adult beetles from taking up residence in the garden and, as a result. In this way, the cultivation soil is protected against the risk of being infested by white grubs. To do this, it suffices to use repellents natural that these beetles hate such as:
- geranium: it can be planted anywhere in the garden, which makes it possible to combine business with pleasure since the geranium also repels mosquitoes and flowers abundantly from late spring until frost.
- The coffee grounds: rather than throwing it in the trash, we spread it on the soil of the garden before digging it.
- The diatomaceous earth: it is a highly effective and 100% natural pest control product. It can be used in organic gardens.
Finally, some gardeners end up tolerating the presence of moles – and even by appreciating it – because these small burrowing mammals are part of the sworn enemies cockchafer but even more so its larvae.
The cockchafer is among the major garden pests, in particular because it is its larvae that ruin plantations by attacking their roots. This issue should not be taken lightly. The more there are white worms, the more there will be beetles which will therefore reproduce… it is a vicious circle which can quickly become infernal for his garden and that of his neighbours. In the off-season, it is therefore essential to dig deeply in order to dislodge all the beetle larvae which hibernate until spring. For easy digging, especially if you have a large piece of land, it may be wise to invest in a tiller so that digging is less daunting.