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DIY Grub Control vs. Hiring a Professional: 3 Facts to Consider

Lawn grubs are a major source of frustration here in Memphis, TN, and Northern MS. These white, c-shaped pests can be highly destructive as they feed on your lawn’s roots. On top of that, because moles feed on lawn grubs, you might be hit with a double whammy as moles can tear up your lawn in the process of feasting on grubs!
That means that your lawn can be destroyed from the subsurface level all the way to the top.

All of this can lead to a messy lawn, plenty of aggravation, and lost money spent fixing these problems.

For these reasons, you might be wondering how you can get rid of grubs.

More specifically, should you consider DIY grub control vs. hiring a professional? After all, you don’t want to spend a lot of money on something that you could do yourself. You might have seen that there are a number of DIY grub control options out there—and you may be wondering if they’re worth trying.

In this article, we’ll talk about DIY grub control vs. hiring a professional, giving you the honest lowdown on what you should know.

What is DIY Grub Control?

A quick search of DIY grub control online will reveal that there are lots of homemade concoctions and remedies out there that claim to be effective grub treatment options. These typically combine household ingredients, like dish soap, that are meant to smother larvae before they can munch on your grassroots and cause too many problems for you.

Lawn grub

We have also seen suggestions for using garlic, lemon juice, mouthwash, and neem oil (among other ingredients) for other various homemade sprays meant to be applied around your property.

While we understand that homeowners often tackle these problems on their own to try and save some money, we want to issue a warning that you could end up spending a lot more money on fixing your lawn if you don’t effectively get rid of grubs.

People don’t always realize just how destructive grubs can be. But the truth is, grubs can cause significant damage to your lawn by feeding on the grass and killing the lawn in the process.

grub damage in lawn

On top of that, as we mentioned, the trouble with lawn grubs here in Memphis and Northern MS is not just the fact that the grubs can destroy your grass by eating its roots. Another huge problem is the fact that they attract moles—one of the most problematic rodents in our area. Moles are attracted to lawns that have grubs in order to eat them. In the process of finding their next meal, they’ll create tunnels that tear up your lawn.

Knowing how destructive these pests (and their predators) can be, you want to make sure that you successfully get rid of them. Unfortunately, there are some problems with DIY grub control which we’ll dive into next.

Why DIY Grub Control May Fall Short

As with many Internet hacks, various blog articles out there make DIY grub control sound easy. With how simple it all sounds, you might wonder why you really have to pay for grub control when you can handle it yourself.

But the truth is, while it might be easy to mix up these homemade solutions, there are some really important points to consider in terms of their effectiveness and their application.

Here are 3 facts about DIY grub control to consider.

1. Many DIY Grub Control Solutions Aren’t Effective

Unfortunately, many grub control solutions simply don’t work that well.

Oftentimes, these sprays require you to go around and actually spray it on the grubs. That’s a pain—plus you’ll likely also miss a lot of them. Grubs are pretty good at hiding down at the grassroots level and we’re guessing you don’t really feel like crawling on your hands and knees across the entire yard spraying every grub that you see.

customer trying diy lawn care

Even if you’re being incredibly diligent, you’re going to likely miss a lot of them.

On top of that, how effective are ingredients like dish soap and garlic really going to be with an enemy as destructive as the lawn grub? When it comes to the health of your lawn, we really don’t think homeowners should assume that a homemade solution is going to work well enough.

The bottom line is that hiring a pro is just going to get you better results. You aren’t leaving anything up to chance when you take this route.

2. DIY Grub Control is Annoying and Time-Consuming

While everyone has the best intentions when they decide to perform DIY pest control, life often gets in the way. You may have intended to get out there and tackle your grub problem, but you got busy. If you decide you’re going to handle grubs on your own, you have to make the time for it—and you’ll likely need repeated applications with a product as benign as dish soap.

customer diy lawn care

Again, as we mentioned, you probably aren’t going to enjoy crawling around your yard looking for every single grub in your lawn.

Instead of having to worry about any of this, you could simply leave it in the hands of a pro. You’ll gain peace of mind and you’ll take a task off of your plate in the process.

3. DIY Grub Control Typically Requires You to Wait Until They’ve Hatched (Which Isn’t Ideal)

Often, the DIY grub treatments out there are curative, meaning that you’re attacking grubs that have already hatched. In our opinion, it is best to tackle grubs preventatively and prevent them from even hatching in the first place. This is achieved with a preventative grub control product that inhibits grubs from hatching.

The timing of a product like this is important. It must be applied before grubs hatch in order to be effective. We usually apply preventative products in the springtime.

customer diy lawn care

Grubs are simply too destructive to wait around until you have a problem. However, if you do end up missing the window for preventative products, there are curative grub control treatments out there that are much more effective than dish soap.

It boils down to the fact that you just don’t want to give grubs a chance to destroy your lawn. If you already have a grub problem, you want to be as aggressive as possible in stopping it in its tracks.

DIY Grub Control vs. Hiring a Professional: When Cost is the Concern

With all of the benefits that come with professional pest control, the only hold up to taking the leap is the question of cost.

But when you start to think about the costs that you could incur if grubs end up decimating your lawn, an investment in a professional grub control solution starts to seem a lot smaller.

technician and customer shaking hands

On top of that, your time and energy are worth something. The amount of time and energy that would be involved in tackling this problem entirely on your own is likely more than you’re even realizing.

At the end of the day, the peace of mind that you gain knowing that your lawn is protected is typically worth the investment for most people.

Gaining Peace of Mind with Professional Grub Control

At the end of the day, you just want to know that your lawn is protected and won’t be decimated by lawn grubs. With DIY grub control, you’re simply not going to gain the confidence that you want.

But by choosing a lawn care company that offers professional grub control, you are making an important choice to keep your lawn protected from pests.

lawn care technician spraying for grubs

When you work with a pro, you also gain the added benefit that they are always looking for signs of trouble. Lawn grubs are one of many potential lawn problems that you could be dealing with.

Besides lawn pests, there are also lawn diseases that can wreak havoc.

Ultimately, you’re looking to know that your lawn is in good hands no matter what problem might arise.

That’s why it’s so important to work with a lawn care company in Memphis, TN or Olive Branch, MS that is going to understand exactly what’s going on with your lawn and how to deal with it. Whether it’s lawn grubs or something else, you want to get to the bottom of the problem quickly and will get your lawn back on track to good health. When investing in your lawn care, you deserve to be able to enjoy your lawn to the fullest and not have to spend a lot of time worrying about what’s wrong.

Ready to stop worrying about lawn grubs (or other problems) at your Tennessee or Northern Mississippi home? Talk to a lawn care expert, choose from 3 program options, ask about adding grub control, and become the master of your lawn.

Get A Free Quote

Image Source: grub

Michael Hatcher

Michael Hatcher is president of Michael Hatcher & Associates.

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