Cinch Bugs vs. White Grubs: Know the Difference

It's not an easy task to keep your lawn green and healthy in the summer, but it's certainly not impossible. As we try to save our beloved plants from threats like weeds and fungus, we sometimes overlook the more obvious threat to our lawns – bugs. There are two types of insects that tend to infest Ontario lawns the most: cinch bugs and white grubs.

At a glance, it seems as if both bugs cause the same type of damage – they both turn patches of your lawn brown by killing your grass. In truth, however, there is a very clear difference between the two insects that can be easily detected, if you know where to look.

Cinch Bugs
Cinch bugs survive by sucking juices from the crown and stems of grass, which eventually results in patches of sunken, brown grass. They tend to cause most harm in midsummer when the weather is hot and dry. The damage usually becomes apparent by the end of July – the driest time of the year.

To find out if you have cinch bugs, sink a large tin can (a coffee container would do) halfway into your soil and then fill it up with water. In a few minutes, the cinch bugs should float to the top. Look carefully though because adult bugs are only 4 mm long. Their bodies are black and their wings are white. Larvae on the other hand are bright red with a white stripe on their back. So, if you spot them, be sure to take care of the problem as soon as possible.

How to Fight Cinch Bugs Using Burlington Sprinkler Systems
Cinch bugs thrive in dry conditions, which means that their greatest enemy is water. As such, the best way to fight them is by watering your lawn regularly, using Burlington sprinkler systems offered by Nutri-Lawn. Be sure, however, not to overwater your lawn because too much water can damage your grass.

White Grubs
Grubs are very similar to June bugs in appearance, but they are smaller in size and have milky white bodies. They live in the soil and feed on grass roots, which results in heaps of dead grass. Just like cinch bugs, grubs usually infest the driest areas of the lawn. However, the damage they cause is usually not apparent until August and September.

If you want to know whether you have white grubs in your lawn, cut and turn over a small section of grass close to the driest area in your lawn and take a close look. You should be able to see them in the top layer of the soil, if they are indeed the source of the problem.

Wash Away White Grubs With your Burlington Sprinkler System
So, let's assume you find grubs in your soil, then what? There is a solution to this problem, so don't worry. You can use Burlington sprinkler systems offered by Nutri-Lawn to help you get rid of them. However, water alone cannot stop them, which is why you'll need to use nematodes to get the job done. Nematodes are small worms that kill grubs without affecting anything else in your lawn, including pets, people, and plants. So, introduce them into your soil and then water it regularly for three weeks, using Burlington sprinkler systems, so that the nematodes could sink into it and start killing grubs.

The most important thing to remember about cinch bugs and white grubs is that they only thrive in poorly maintained lawns. If you take good care of your grass by watering it regularly, these critters will not bother you.