grubs in soil

Eco-Friendly Grub Control: How to Protect Your Lawn and Pollinators

Grubs destroy lawns by feeding on the grassroots. They are lawn pests that nobody wants to worry about. Your lawn is important to you and the last thing that you want is to see it destroyed by these pests.

That being said, you might be looking for ways to get rid of grubs naturally. 

Even though these pests can be highly destructive, you do not want to harm pollinators in your efforts to get rid of grubs. 

That’s why you might be interested in pollinator-safe grub control.

In this article, you will learn more about safe grub killer solutions that won’t pose risks to your family or friendly pollinators like birds and bees.

What are the signs of a grub infestation on a lawn?

While many lawn problems can be easily spotted and diagnosed, it’s not quite that simple with grubs. 

That’s because lawn grubs are born in the soil, at the subsurface level. Once they hatch, they begin feeding on your lawn’s roots for nourishment.

Signs of this feeding will not be immediately evident. It’s not until grubs have consumed enough of your lawn’s roots that you might notice an issue. This would include the lawn turning brown or even detaching from the ground entirely (coming up in clumps…or even worse, “rolling up like a carpet”).

mole hills in grass

Another thing that homeowners sometimes notice is increased animal activity on their lawns. Since grubs are a food source for animals like moles and birds, a sudden influx of feeding activity could signify that you have lawn grubs.

But at this point, the grubs might have been doing plenty of feasting themselves. This is concerning as grubs can do significant damage before you even realize there’s a serious problem. This is why grub control is so important. 

In fact, we like to focus more on grub prevention as it’s significantly less expensive than repairing damage. 

At Seacoast Turf Care, we include pollinator-friendly grub control in all three of our lawn care programs. These products address grubs early on before they get a chance to turn your lawn into a 24-hour buffet.

How do you kill grubs without killing bees?

When talking about grub control, it’s important to understand that not all products are the same. 

There are different products on the market for this purpose. While they all have the goal of killing grubs, you might need to be concerned about what other harm they can cause. There are different types of chemicals involved and depending on what you’re using, you may also need to be careful about children and pets.

lawn care technicicans inspect grass

Whether you are doing this service yourself or working with a lawn care professional, you want to make sure that you are using pollinator-safe grub control. These would be products that don’t cause harm to other creatures but specifically target grubs.

The trouble is that products that are not safe for pollinators can be absorbed into pollen and nectar. This can kill bees and other pollinators. This is an issue that we take seriously as pollinators are essential to our ecosystem.

Why consider professional grub control?

While you can buy grub control products yourself, you might be wondering about the advantages of working with a professional.

As with any lawn care service, letting a pro handle it for you means removing the burden from your shoulders and making sure it gets done (and gets done right). 

Timing is really important when it comes to grub control. You want to make sure that products are applied early enough to be preventative. While there are also “curative” products out there, these are used after grubs have already been hatched and damage has been spotted.

lawn care technician spreads granular fertilizer

You don’t want to wait until there are significant problems to do something about these pests. Since grubs have the power to destroy your lawn, the last thing that you want is to forget to put the product down or apply it too late.

With a pro, none of those worries are your concern.

That also removes the worry of having to store products in your garage or shed. Even with non-toxic and eco-friendly grub control products, you still don’t want to worry about a child or pet getting into the bag. When a pro is handling these services for you, you won’t have to be storing anything.

Choosing Lawn Care & Grub Control in Southern NH, ME, and MA

At the end of the day, the best solution for grub control is partnering with a professional lawn care provider that takes this threat seriously. There are plenty of companies that offer grub control but sometimes don’t do anything about it until there’s already a problem. 

But because grub damage can occur so quickly, it’s important to work with a lawn care company that focuses on prevention.


You also want to choose a lawn care company that cares about using pollinator-safe grub control. While you don’t want a pest like the grub to ruin your lawn, you also don’t want to hurt the local ecosystem. 

Many lawn care companies use traditional grub control products that are less expensive but also potentially harmful to pollinators. Make sure to ask your lawn care provider what type of product they are using.

At Seacoast Turf Care, we want you to be able to feel confident that your lawn is protected. Worrying about lawn grubs destroying your turf or that the products you’re using to control grubs could harm pollinators is a lot of burden that you shouldn’t have on your shoulders. 

Fortunately, by choosing to work with Seacoast Turf Care, you can gain peace of mind that it’s under control. Not only are we helping to prevent lawn grub damage, but we’re also solving other lawn problems, too. Our lawn care programs help to promote a thick and healthy lawn that will become increasingly resistant to disease and environmental stress.

Ready to be where the grass is greener, healthier, and free from pests? Get lawn care pricing for your Southern NH, ME, or MA lawn.

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