Cream-colored body with six legs, cocoa-like heads, and curled into the signature C-shape creatures that dwell underneath the grass in lawns are known as grub worms.
These worms are mainly found in the United States though they still can be found in many areas throughout the world.
But these creatures aren’t worms. Instead, they are usually in their larvae stage and are widely called grub worms. Their life cycle starts when a female beetle lays eggs in the soil.
When the eggs hatch underneath the soil, the larva (larvae in plural) evolves into these teeny-tiny grub worms.
So, do these insects spend their whole lives below the grass or turn into something more interesting?
Let’s find out what they actually turn into.
In this garden gild guides we’ll discuss the following:
- What do grub worms turn out to be?
- What insect do lawn grubs turn into?
- How long does it take grubs to turn into beetles?
- How do you get grub worms?
- How long do grub worms live?
- What damage do grub worms cause?
- What do grub worm larvae look like?
- Is it too late to treat for grubs?
What do grub worms turn into?
These tiny larvae turn into eight different kinds of beetle. And when they turn into full-grown adult beetles, they don’t look as ugly as now. So we’re going to discuss all the beetles they turn out to be.
1. June Beetles:
May beetles feed on foliage and flowers, causing damage to them. They are found throughout all the areas in the United States.
2. Green June Beetles:
Similar to the previous one, this one feeds on green plants found in the eastern United States and western Texas.
3. Japanese Beetles:
From the name, you can already tell that these beetles came from Japan to the United States and have evolved across the county’s Eastern area. They have brown wing covers and a green body.
4. Asiatic Garden Beetle:
These beetles accidentally came from Asia in the 1900s and spread across Northern America. They cause damage to both larva and adults.
5. Oriental Beetles:
When they are white grubs, they cause a lot of damage to your lawn with a brown mess. But when they turn into beetles, they are safe even though a bit loud and noisy.
6. Northern and Southern Chafers:
They are an inch long and have brown wings and dark brown heads.
7. European Chafers:
They come from Europe, and the adult beetles live a concise life. They look identical to the June Beetles, but they are half-inch long and much lighter in color.
8. Black Turfgrass Ataenius:
These beetles specifically cause damage to the golf course only. They are tiny, black, and very much shiny.
What insect do lawn grubs turn into?
Lawn grubs, also known as the white grubs, are found in lawns, and they are the immature forms of different beetles like the June and Japanese. White in color, they are usually found in their C position with legs near their head and soft bodies.
During spring, the grubs wake up from winter and start to feed on the roots of the grass. After they have fed, they turn into pupae that will eventually turn into adult beetle.
After the pupae turn into beetles like the Japanese and June, they evolve to feed on the garden flowers and foliage and lay eggs on the lawn.
This way, they multiply.
How long does it take grubs to turn into beetles?
When a grub worm is hatched from an egg, they start to feed on grassroots and cause them to die by destroying the grass sections.
And while they feed as larvae to fuel their growth into adult beetles, it usually takes them approximately 12 months to turn into pupae.
After that, the pupal stage stays stationary for 7 to 10 days at max. Then the pupa finally gives in, and they become an adult.
After becoming an adult beetle, they look for other beetles to mate and reproduce their heirs to kick start the same life cycle again.
How do you get grub worms?
Lawn worms or grub worms are widespread kinds of garden pests. They live underneath the soil and eat grassroots and turn your whole garden deep brown like something fried the grass.
They are very much attracted to thick and healthy grass. And by healthy, I mean a perfect root system that allows the grubs to feed on them.
So if you have a very green garden filled with healthy grass, your lawn is most likely to be attracted by grubs and turn your backyard brown afterward.
How long do grub worms live?
The life cycle of a grub worm has four different stages. They are egg, larvae, pupa, and final stage adult. These insects change in size, color, shape, and habits during each transition from one stage to another. The habitat also changes.
We have discussed eight types of grub worm’s adult forms, and their life span is usually completed within one year, including death. But the exception is June Beetles, who live three years at maximum.
What damage do grub worms cause?
All along, we knew that the grub worms cause damage to your garden. But little did we know that they also welcome the unwelcomed wildlife creatures that feed on them.
The wildlife creatures dig up patches of the grass in your lawn in search of worms. The higher the percentage of grub worms larvae in your garden, the higher the percentage will be the damage.
The damage in your lawn shows up as brown colored garden as the grubs wilt the grass in irregularly shaped patches in your whole lawn.
This happens because the worms feed on the whole root system of your garden, and the turf becomes loose and can also be peeled away as it’s a new sod.
The worms hibernate during winter and come out in spring. They eat the roots of the grass in the springtime, but the damage is more visible in summer as there are more complications like high heat and drought.
What do grub worm larvae look like?
Grub worms hatch all over the United States, especially in Florida, as Florida doesn’t have to bear stone-cold winter. The grubs thrive in this place and multiply all year long.
The newly hatched grubs are cream in color with a c-shaped body and brown-yellow heads. They also have six tiny legs located near their head and a very darkly tinted abdomen.
The adult grubs have a full white body and 2 inches in length, and they develop a dark-colored tail as they mature towards becoming adult beetle.
Is it too late to treat for grubs?
It is never too late to start something. Though I won’t keep you under a false scenario that it will be easy to treat grubs when it becomes late. It is quite problematic in summer to kill grubs.
They fully grow in September, and thus they become very hard to kill. If you give the best treatment, it will only kill 60% of the infestation.
Once the raccoons have found out that grubs are in your lawn, they will continue to come back and cause more damage.
It is not ideal for treating the whole lawn once the infestation has increased. Rather treat them in the hotspots where the grubs are huge in number.
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Conclusion
Hope we can give you the details about grub worms’ lifestyle and what they turn into. We tried answering every relevant question about it.
A huge infestation of grub worms can be pretty devastating. There is no doubt about that. I hope you got all the answers you needed.
