THERE are plenty of pesky pests you probably already know about, but this little-known one can destroy your lawn from now until spring.
The larvae of some crane flies, often referred to as leatherjackets, can not only damage lawns, but also small plants by eating their rooms.
The pests can destroy your lawn if they’re not dealt with fast[/caption]
Frankie knew what to do after finding letherjackets last year[/caption]
You’ll often find leatherjackets during and after a wet autumn, as damp conditions favour survival of eggs and larvae, the RHS explain.
One gardening fan recently discovered the pests in her garden and took to social media to document to journey in trying to banish them.
Taking to Instagram, Frankie Seamark showed off the crane flies she discovered all over her garden.
“Within a couple of weeks they hatch into grubs called leatherjackets and over the winter they’ll be feeding off the roots of your lawn,” she explained in the viral clip.
Frankie faced the same problem last year and was keen to stop them in their tracks before the matter got out of hand again.
Since craneflies generally only live for up to a week, Frankie knew she had to act fast when she spotted the infestation.
To tackle the problem, she got out her lawnmower and got to work cutting her grass in a bid to kill any eggs.
Then, with the help from her dad, she removed the rest of the craneflies, which were mostly gathered around windows and doors.
“We thought the best thing we could do over the next couple of days is keep mowing the lawn even if it’s a couple of times a day to disrupt them as much as possible while they’re laying their eggs,” she added.
After sharing her garden woes online plenty of people chimed in to share their advice in fighting off letherjackets.
One commented: “Grab some nemotodes on Amazon! Mix it with water and pour it on.
“September and October are the best times to do it as it’s so much harder to treat in the spring as the grubs are fully grown.”
A second added: “We have our garden treated twice a year by Green Thumb. Worth every penny and we have a fairly large lawn too.”
And another wrote: “Nemotodes! Do it every September and April if it’s really bad. We haven’t seen any more than a couple ever since.”
Meanwhile, someone else thanked Frankie for her tips, they said: “We had this last year and our lush lawn turned to soil!
“Thanks for the tips, we’re going to treat this weekend as we were too late last year!”
Tips for keeping pests from your garden
- Plant companion plants such as peppermint to repel rats.
- Place Garden Netting Pest Barrier, over your flowerbeds.
- Fill open-top containers with beer and place in soil to repel slugs.
- Spray plants with Neem Oil, to repel ants, flies, and spiders.
- Dust your flowerbeds with Diatomaceous Earth.
- Mix 1 tablespoon dish soap, 10 drops peppermint oil, and 4 cups water and spray on flowerbeds.
- Place eggshells around your plants to protect from slugs and snails.
