It's fair time again         

By John Fulton, Logan County Extension

[JULY 31, 2006]  Of course, we're in the middle of the Logan County Fair. This means there is access to our office only through the fairgrounds, and many staff members are not available by phone due to various shows. In case of an emergency, call the regular office number at 732-8289. Please be patient, as the office may not be staffed much during the fair. The fair is truly a community event, so come on out and support your favorite activity at your community fair. There are countless volunteer hours put into a successful fair, and your support is what keeps the whole thing going.

Grubs

Many individuals are now considering whether they should be applying grub control treatments to their lawns. Treatment times have normally been about fair week for the annual white grubs, but the Japanese beetle treatments could run a few weeks later. There is no good rule of thumb, but some of these points may help you make your decision.

The adults of the annual white grub are the June bug or June beetle. If you see (or saw) lots of these adults, that will give you the possibility of having several grubs. This year we can throw in the presence of the Japanese beetles and green June bugs.

Grubs usually infest areas around security lights; along sidewalks, driveways and patios; and areas with just the right amount of moisture. Remember that it actually takes 10-12 grubs per square foot to seriously injure healthy turf. Of course there are the large numbers of Japanese beetles laying eggs that contribute greatly to the number.

Prior grub damage or the presence of moles also indicates that you could have had a large adult crop that could lead to a large grub crop. Grubs are a favorite food of the mole, and if you want to keep moles out of your yard, you should treat for grubs at this time. If you eliminate the food source for the mole, they will go elsewhere. Of course moles eat earthworms as well, and the newer insecticides don't kill worms like some of the older ones.

Hopefully these points will help you to make your decision. If you do decide to treat, imadricloprid and trichlorfon are the major homeowner products. If you use the liquid, you need to water it in immediately to have good luck in your control program. If you use the granules, you have a few days to wait for a rain to water the insecticide in. There are several other products for homeowner use, with many of them combined with a fertilizer treatment. If label directions are followed, all should provide adequate control of grubs.

Defoliation

Defoliation is simply removing leaves. Right now there are insects and diseases that are causing things to look like fall. Insect problems are probably curable. Most are caused by larvae of moths and butterflies, which can be controlled by Sevin, diazinon or one of the Bt products, among others. The current defoliators include bagworms, tent caterpillars, fall webworms and walnut caterpillars.

The disease issue has to be dealt with in future years, when we get to work with a fresh set of leaves. As I have preached before, diseases are preventable but not very curable.

[John Fulton, unit leader, University of Illinois Extension, Logan County Unit]