Spring will soon be around the corner and the grass roots will be growing. What you do not want to happen is for these great new roots and existing grass roots to be eaten by Leatherjacket Larvae - the young of The Crane Fly or Daddy Long Legs.
It is not uncommon to find up to 200 larvae per single square metre. Do not underestimate these little larvae creatures, they can strip a golf green or golf tee and fairway in a few days, then the birds and mammals like Foxes and Badgers start having a go - all in all a recipe for disaster especially if you do not spot the early warning signs of an infestation in the turf root zone. Suddenly you find your golf course on the Egon Ronay's Guide to the best 2009 Restaurants.
The signs of stress from grasses having no roots will generally show quite quickly. The idividual grass plants will wilt and fall over, after all no roots means no mechanism for absorbing water to sustain plant life. If we end up with a cold breezy spring, the damage will be very evident quickly - before the Birds and Badgers start ripping up the turf to get to the tasty meal underneath. Normally the sight of feeding Birds on fine turf areas is a dead give away. Spraying one small area with a knapsack filled with a Chlorpyifos solution will bring the Leatherjacket larvae to the surface so it is possible to do a head count per single square metre - before the birds arrive for an easy supper.
The Leatherjacket eggs would have been laid by the Crane Fly adult last autumn. The eggs will hatch in the spring and the Pupae will develop into the Larvae. Spraying Chlorpyrifos in the autumn months will still mean that there will be some residual activity remaining in the soil to prevent the larvae but if it has been a wet winter, some benefit may have been lost. It is common for Turf Managers to mix Carbendazim used for Earthworm Cast Control with Chlorpyrifos to save on one application charge. Others prefer to apply a seperate Chlorpyrifos application in the spring.
Leatherjackets live for one year only, unlike Chafer Beetle Larvae. Please refer to the Leatherjacket Technical Leaflet for more information on their control or email The Weed Free Team.
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