Reader's Responses:

1. Twizler says:

   August 9, 2010 at 7:15 am

   Not necessary, unless you have tell tale signs of grub infestation, areas of brown dead grass, usually in large patches, even after yard has been properly watered regularly and fertilized. If so, I would say yes, but if not, its just another sales gimmick.

   You can apply your own via Grub X sold at most hardware stores, a $20 bag covers 5000 sq ft. Cheaper than paying the service.
2. ktdid80 says:

   August 9, 2010 at 7:56 am

   Are the grubs at a level in your lawn that requires treating? Unless you have visible grub damage, don’t treat at all. It takes 15 or more grubs per square foot in well-maintained and watered turf to cause visible damage. You can check numbers this fall by digging up small hunks of turf, randomly throughout the yard. Simply lift with a spade just under the roots of the grass, look, count, and replace turf, tamping it back in place. I’m not sure what area you are in, but here in Michigan, this time (summer) is not the best time to treat grubs. The best time is fall or spring. Grubs are the larvae of Japanese and June beetles. Basically, the beetles are emerging now, so they aren’t grubs anymore. They will breed and lay their eggs in the grass. Late this summer or fall, the tiny grubs will hatch and move into the soil to begin feeding on the roots before winter sets in. In mid-late October, as temps cool, the grubs move deeper underground to avoid the cold. Here, they will spend the winter and come back to the surface to feed and mature in the spring. Grubs are most vulnerable when feeding in the fall, when they are younger. Application of insecticide in the summer is not effective in summertime and can harm beneficial insects living in your lawn. Rather than an insecticide, you could try an application of a parasite called Milky Spore, which kills grubs for many years and doesn’t harm other insects. Don’t let the “lawn care professionals” harass you into getting something you don’t need.