LAWN grubs have been a hot topic of discussion among Bathurst's gardening enthusiasts, as the pests have been responsible for destroying some beautiful lawns in recent weeks.
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Bathurst Gardeners' Club president Peter Varman said he had received a number of calls from concerned residents whose lawns had been infested by the grubs.
Mr Varman said the grubs in question were the larvae of the Black Lawn Beetle.
"The black beetle lays its eggs into the ground, and as the larvae grow they eat the roots," he said. "When they eat the roots of the grass, the grass dies."
Mr Varman said that the best way to determine if you had a problem with the lawn grubs was to closely examine any dead patches of grass that appeared.
"One of the things that will really show the problem is if you grab the top of the grass and pull," he said. "If it comes off easy, there is something wrong."
Mr Varman noted that a common mistake was for people to simply attribute dead patches of grass to the dry and hot conditions.
"I've had a couple of calls from people saying that patches of their grass have gone brown, and they think it is because they are not putting enough water on it."
Mr Varman said early detection was key to getting rid of the lawn grubs without causing too much damage to the lawn.
"That way you can treat small areas before it is too big and out of control," he said. "But you will probably find you may have to over sow the area that has been treated."
Mr Varman said the problem could be solved with a variety of lawn grub killers, which can be purchased from local nurseries or hardware stores.
Mr Varman added that preventative treatment was another alternative.
"You can actually spray before any damage is caused, but the trouble is it can be quite expensive and you have to start spraying in November," he said.
"I think that the best thing to do is to just be aware that from late November this can occur, and just keep a close eye on any dead patches."
Mr Varman said the lawn grubs were a common problem around this time of the year, but noted that some summers were worse than others.
He noted that most of the damage was usually caused between the second half of December and February.
"They seem to be a bigger problem this year, they are a bit like Christmas beetles, some years there are lots, while others are good and there are not to many."
