Hi. I seem to have a problem with leatherjackets in my lawn, I know they are the lave of crane flies and that you can only use the biological killer in Aug/Sept.....which I intend to use. Does anyone have any other suggestions as to what I can do in the meantime to keep them at bay. My lawn is becoming a mess as they eat the roots of the grass and kill it and the magpies and blackbirds are digging up the rest to try and eat them!!
thanks Helen
i would suggest you try get it sorted ASAP. My mum had her lawn destroyed for a couple of years running by foxes digging it up for the leatherjackets.
I have literally scalped the areas today and picked up the ones I could find and enjoyed feeding them to the chickens...yum yum!!
I can't find any info about treating them now it all says to wait till August...I wont have a lawn left by then!!
A possible approach now is to make sure the lawn's wet at nightfall, then cover with black plastic. If you lift the plastic in the morning the grubs should have been brought to the surface (adhering to the plastic) and can be left for the birds.
I found this and though it might be helpful
http://www.garden-care.org.uk/hot_press.asp