Fairway pecking

Fairway pecking

As you will have seen we have had some damage to certain fairways here at Harleyford. The 15^th is worst hit however we also have damage on the 9th, 11th 13th & 14th fairways. The principle issue is that grubs live just under the surface eating the root of the grass plant, this can cause a yellowing or weakening of the turf in spring. The main problem we have seen is bird pecking on the fairways, this is when birds start pecking looking for the grubs to eat.

Quick facts

Common name: Chafer Grub, Garden Chafer

Scientific name: Phyllopertha Horticla

Area affected: Golf greens, tees, fairways.

Symptoms:  Chunks of turf pulled back by birds foxes or badgers

Activity: Grubs September to April Beetles May – June

  

What are they?

Chafer grubs are soil dwelling larvae of the chafer beetle. Depending on the species of the chafer they feed on decaying plant material or plant roots. Some species do not cause damage to turf as they live in plant borders and compost heaps, however there are several species that feed on turf roots and can cause problems on the golf course. The main problem are there predators.

  

Symptoms

Some species of chafer grub eat the roots of grasses and other plants. Evidence of their activities can be seen in a number of ways:

• Damage to turf is most obvious in spring when the grubs are reaching maturity
• Patches of the turf may become yellowish
• Birds, particularly of the crow family (e.g. Jays, Magpies, Rooks Jackdaws and Crows), and badgers and foxes tear up turf in order to access the grubs to feed on them
• Damaging infestations can be highly localised and sporadic hitting different fairways and tees around the course.
• Chafer grubs can be found in the soil under the loose turf. They have stout white bodies curved in a C shape, light brown heads, with three pairs of legs at the head end.
• Other less troublesome species of chafer grubs can also occur in turf and garden borders, such as the cockchafer
• Similar root damage in turf areas can also be caused by leatherjackets. Birds and foxes will also try to find theses under the turf and cause damage.

Control

Chemical control

There are currently no chemical controls for garden chafer grubs or Leatherjackets in the amenity and sports turf industry. The active ingredient (Chlorpyrifos) used to kill leatherjackets was withdrawn overnight on the 31^st August 2015. Merit turf (Imidacloprid) was taken off the market in October 2015 and all stock has to be used by October 2016. Luckily we have one hectare in stock of merit turf to use in May on the 15^th and 16^th fairways. Additionally this is a very expensive treatment which can run into 5 figures to complete.

Non-chemical control

• Repair damaged turf by re-sowing with grass seed or laying turf in April when the chafer grubs have moved deeper into the soil to pupate.
• Shooting and trapping and using bangers to move the birds that are doing the damage away, but there are so many this year it’s a never ending task.  
• You can buy pathogenic nematodes, usually Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, which attack the larvae by infecting them with a fatal bacterial disease. These microscopic animals can be watered into the Turf when the ground is moist and soil temperature range between 12-20ºC (55-68ºF). This biological control is available by mail order from our chemical suppliers. The turf around the edge of affected areas should be targeted to deal with larvae spreading out from infestation “hot spots”. However, by the time areas of infestation become apparent, the soil may be too cold for nematodes to be effective. As a preventive measure, we are looking apply nematodes around September. Nematodes should be applied no longer than 5 days after delivery, We may have to water in before and after application to ensure the soil is sufficiently moist for nematode activity and survival. Nemitodes are a little hit and miss, now nemitodes are the only thing on the market to deal with this problem.

Another angle we are going to try is trapping the male beetle, this is for two reasons the first is to see when they are active to apply the merit turf that we have in stock. The other is to reduce the population by trapping them.

The Garden Chafer Trap is a simple but effective product that can allow more accurate treatment timings against the larval stage of this destructive pest.

The trap will catch adult beetles and give an early warning of chafer grub activity. The trap also helps to reduce the number of egg laying adults in the surrounding area. Each trap is supplied with a powerful pheromone, which attracts male Garden Chafer beetles.

Key points:

• The trap will be set in May and will be hung 50 - 100cm above ground level. There will be several traps around the problem areas. Mainly around the 14^th and 15^th fairways. 
• One trap will cover 2000m² or half an acre.
• The trap is supplied with pheromone bait which lasts for up to 6 weeks.

I hope this gives you an insight on what we are doing to get on top of this problem for next year.