Getting rid of insects in lawn

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t0ny

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Topic # 228629 15-Jan-2018 10:09

I noticed insects hiding in the grass and they appear to eat at the roots of the grass so iam starting to get bald spots on the lawn. Was going to use an insecticide but saw on the news today the harm they cause on the bees. What is the alternate way to manage this?

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Reply # 1938919 15-Jan-2018 10:14

Spray the whole garden with Neem once every 2 days about 3 or 4 times and all those little pests will most likely be gone!
This works a treat: https://www.naturallyneem.co.nz/

t0ny

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Reply # 1938928 15-Jan-2018 10:22

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Thanks, i got neem oil already. Didnt think of applying it to the lawn :)

timmmay

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Reply # 1938931 15-Jan-2018 10:26

It's probably grass grubs. Get the rid insecticide from the garden store, hose it in, risk to bees is low.

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MikeB4

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Reply # 1938937 15-Jan-2018 10:30

Don't use insecticides, they kill useful insects like Bees. Use a cheap washing powder, sprinkle over the lawn and lightly water with a wide spray to avoid sudsing. It is probably the cheapest and very affective.

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Oblivian

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Reply # 1938939 15-Jan-2018 10:32

Ours was rather oblitherated a season or so back by Porina.

Much worse than Grass Grub.

If you see lots of holes, shell husks and moths at night. It's them

https://www.kiwicare.co.nz/problem/porina/

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Reply # 1938943 15-Jan-2018 10:37

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we need to be conservative when dealing with insects, we are killing too may and its impacting the food chain and us. I am pleased to see Bunnings removing Confidor from their shelves and I hope the others do as well.

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timmmay

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Reply # 1938980 15-Jan-2018 11:44

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Balance in the time, effort, and cost of completely replacing a lawn if bugs eat it. I've done it, including rotary hoe, getting soil ready, etc, it takes a lot of time and resources.

Lawns are pretty wasteful of resources really.

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MikeAqua

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Reply # 1939011 15-Jan-2018 12:45

You can avoid harm to bees ...

Cut the grass short enough to remove all flowers (esp clover flowers) so bees aren't attracted to the lawn.

Then apply insecticide just on dusk when the bees are in bed for the night.

Mike

neb

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Reply # 1939137 15-Jan-2018 15:29

t0ny:
I noticed insects hiding in the grass and they appear to eat at the roots of the grass so iam starting to get bald spots on the lawn. Was going to use an insecticide but saw on the news today the harm they cause on the bees. What is the alternate way to manage this?

That's mostly neonic insecticides, which are basically bee genocide. There are plenty of things you can use that don't affect bees, check the manufacturer's notes for whatever your preferred treatment is.

Gordy7

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Reply # 1939285 15-Jan-2018 18:43

I like a green lawn but don't like the insects/grass grub killing off the fine grasses.

I have been planting and encouraging Mercury Bay Weed.

Grass grub doesn't seem to attack this.

Gordy

nzkc

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Reply # 1939296 15-Jan-2018 19:19

No one has suggested chickens!? Not practical for everyone...I get that. They're still a worthwhile consideration for many.

Gordy7

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Reply # 1939347 15-Jan-2018 19:57

Here is some of my Mercury Bay Weed:

Gordy

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Reply # 1939349 15-Jan-2018 20:04

Grass grub ruined area... with some new plantings of Mercury Bay Weed...

Gordy

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Reply # 1939352 15-Jan-2018 20:10

nzkc:

No one has suggested chickens!? Not practical for everyone...I get that. They're still a worthwhile consideration for many.

Chickens will dig up your lawns... whats left of them.... and the flower and vegetable gardens too... :-)

Gordy

Mark

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Reply # 1939407 15-Jan-2018 22:25

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My chickens devour any little critter that moves .. and each other should one keel over and lay still too long, aweful creatures, but fantastic at converting stuff into delicious eggs :-)

They do tend to start scratching the grass up if they spot something interesting, but if you need somethng specific eaten you just point it out to them and then move them onto new areas to stop too much scratching.

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