Starting reading and decided Milky Spore was a great, earth friendly, treatment. Then did some digging and I don't have Japanese beetles but rather the Grey Chafer (if that's the correct term). So Milky Spore seems out of the question as I don't want to spend money and time on something that does not work against this type of beetle/larvae.

Next, beneficial nematodes. Sounds good but a lot of mixed reviews of people spending $200+ and not seeing benefits.

I wouldn't have blinked an eye last year at using Grub Ex but now after all this reading it seems like most people make out Grub Ex to be the Satan of all commercial lawn care products.

Bought a bag at HD today to put down ASAP as I understand this is the best time for that in my region even though I already see the damage.

Am I stressing out too much over using a chemical product to take care of this problem? If it were Japanese beetles that were the problem then the solution seems easy but for me nothing but chemical looks like it would definitely work.

On top of that what kind of maintenance schedule am I looking at to make sure I don't see damage again next year? Will keeping a yearly regime of chemical treatments destroy my earthworm population?

Thank you all!

It is my understanding that BN also are not instant gratification. If that is the case can I use Grub Ex now and then plan on following a BN routine starting in the fall or next spring? I know with Milky Spore this is not beneficial as the bacteria need the larvae to spread but was not sure if that was the case with BN.

Also, how often do you apply BN and is there a way to make sure that it is working other than waiting for the problem to reoccur? Do you also use BN in garden and vegetable beds?

Thank you for your help.

Have you dug through your soil to find actual grubs? There should be fewer than a dozen per square foot. If you have more than a dozen, then you have enough to do something about. A healthy lawn should be able to feed a few grubs without causing any visible damage.

There is another product you might try. It is from the Green Light company and is called Lawn and Garden Spray with Spinosad. The spinodad is the common name for a disease which causes insects to stop feeding. It very well might be the same disease carried by the beneficial nematodes. It acts the same in that it paralyzes the bug which stops it from feeding immediately. So in that sense there is some instant gratification, but you may see more damage become visible as it becomes evident over time.