Give your lawn its best chance to repel the chafer beetle before they become a problem. Photos by Julie Cheng

BY SOREN ELSAY

If there is one thing that homeowners love as much as their home, it’s their lawn. It’s often the most noticeable part of someone’s landscape and often functions as a convenient spot for mini soccer matches or picnics.

Lawns are also under attack in Vancouver. Thanks to the notorious chafer beetle, people across the Lower Mmainland are seeing their beloved grass shredded, seemingly overnight. While it may seem inevitable, there are a few tactics that you can take to reduce the chances that your lawn faces the same fate that so many others have fallen to.

The chafer beetle is not in fact the animal responsible for tearing up your lawn; rather, the chafer beetle is the catalyst for the destruction of people’s green pride and joy.

Crows and raccoons dig up your lawn to get at the delicious little white grubs.

The beetle lays its larva roughly two to four inches under the grass, unnoticeable to the naked eye. What is noticeable is when the local wildlife comes searching for the delicious little white grubs, and your lawn is the only thing standing in their way. Mostly through crows, which shred lawns small chunk by small chunk, and racoons, which peel back the grass in large patches, this wildlife is virtually unstoppable once they decide that your lawn in the source of their next meal.

If you are looking for a way to ensure your lawn stays flawless then artificial turf is the only sure bet in this day and age. For those who want to keep the natural look but don’t want to go down without a fight, there are a couple of things that can be done to mitigate the chance of the chafer beetle battle playing out in your yard.

Keep your lawn healthy

The best protective measures are the preemptive ones, which is to say, give your lawn its best chance to repel the chafer beetle before they become a problem.

This means maintaining a healthy lawn and keeping your grass slightly longer than you normally would. Healthy, thick, longish grass is the best defence against the beetle getting into the soil, as the healthier and longer the grass, the heartier the root system and the harder it is for the beetle to penetrate the outer layer.

Proper aeration and topsoil applied early in the season, as well as continued watering and fertilization are factors that can lead to a thick, healthy lawn. While many people love the golf-green-style short grass, I would recommend keeping your grass at least three inches long. It may not offer the crisp look of super-short grass, but it beats witnessing the slow destruction of your lawn.

Superbugs to the rescue

Nematodes are a non-toxic, organic way to rid your lawn of chafer beetles.

If your lawn does fall victim to the local wildlife, not all hope is lost. Nematodes are microscopic living organisms that feed on other living organisms (like the chafer beetle larva) and are easily applied. Available at most large lawn and garden care centres, nematodes are a non-toxic, organic way to rid your lawn of pests.

Applied by mixing into water that gets sprayed evenly across the lawn, nematodes are biological warfare at its most basic level. It is important to note that once applied, nematodes require constant watering, often more than summer water restrictions allow. A City of Vancouver permit will allow you to get an exemption from these bylaws.

Soren Elsay has worked as a professional landscaper. He is an aspiring writer with a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia.

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