Truthfully, we Cultivated Gardeners love the Chaefer Beetle. We find homeowners are tired of fighting the Chaefer Beetle and call us for help. We turn the problem into the solution.
What do you do if your lawn is decimated by the effects of Chaefer Beetle larvae? Here are two options:
1) If you really need a lawn, then renovate your lawn and learn how to care for the grass so it grows deep roots and is no longer victim to Chaefer Beetle Buffett.
2) If you don't need a lawn, remove the lawn and plant a beautiful garden. This is what we like to do. We have posted some of our garden designs on Houzz.com houzz.com/pro/ecolisa/.
Many of these designs are a direct result of Chaefer Beetle related damage. Once their lawn has been decimated, people reassess why they have a lawn, and if a garden would be more suitable.
From the view of maintenance, a properly designed and installed garden is less maintenance than lawn. If the garden is not properly designed and/or installed, it will be more maintenance than a lawn.
If you are not sure how to design and install successfully, feel free to call us for help. It is what we do. www.thecultivatedgardeners.com.
Showing posts with label beetle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beetle. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Monday, 11 March 2013
Life of a Chaefer Beetle
Today I removed part of a lawn, and found many Chaefer Beetle larvae under the lawn. In Vancouver, the Chaefer Beetle is currently about 1/2" in diameter. Like most beetle larvae, the Chaefer Beetle larvae is creamy white with a black head.
The lawn that I dug up had strong roots, so the Chaefer Beetle larvae were safe from crows and raccoons.
The Chafer Beetle likes laying eggs in the dense root of lawns. The eggs are in the lawn, and when they hatch, the larvae feed on the roots of the grass. When they mature, the Chaefer Beetles fly into the air, get jiggy with each other, and then fly back down to the ground to lay eggs.
Last year in Vancouver, I counted three cycles of Chaefer Beetle life between spring and autumn. I counted the cycles by counting how many times I saw lawns dug up by crows and raccoons. An observational analysis more than a scientific study.
The lawn that I dug up had strong roots, so the Chaefer Beetle larvae were safe from crows and raccoons.
The Chafer Beetle likes laying eggs in the dense root of lawns. The eggs are in the lawn, and when they hatch, the larvae feed on the roots of the grass. When they mature, the Chaefer Beetles fly into the air, get jiggy with each other, and then fly back down to the ground to lay eggs.
Last year in Vancouver, I counted three cycles of Chaefer Beetle life between spring and autumn. I counted the cycles by counting how many times I saw lawns dug up by crows and raccoons. An observational analysis more than a scientific study.
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Chaefer Beetles in Vancouver
Once again, crows and raccoons are dining on delicious Chaefer Beetle larvae. These larvae are living under lawns. The crows and raccoons dig up lawns to get to the larvae.
Why are some lawns affected and not others? The lawn has to be easy to dig. Crows only use their beaks, and raccoons their paws. I have dug up lawns with deep roots, and the Chaefer Beetle larvae are under the roots, but they are safe from crows and raccoons.
Lawns that are easy to dig have shallow roots. A lawn should not have shallow roots. A lawn gets shallow roots from being cut too short, and not getting watered effectively. Generally, the roots of a lawn are as long as the blades of grass. So if the lawn is only 1" high, chances are, the roots are only 1" deep.
If a lawn is watered at short intervals, the water cannot penetrate very deeply into the soil. If the water is not penetrating into the soil, the grass roots come to the surface looking for moisture, and again, this leads to shallow roots.
You have probably heard this before: raise the mower blade so the lawnmower is cutting the lawn at least 2" high. When the grass is growing quickly in the spring, 2" is a good height. As the grass growing slows down when the weather gets hotter, lawns can be 2.5-3.0" high.
Why are some lawns affected and not others? The lawn has to be easy to dig. Crows only use their beaks, and raccoons their paws. I have dug up lawns with deep roots, and the Chaefer Beetle larvae are under the roots, but they are safe from crows and raccoons.
Lawns that are easy to dig have shallow roots. A lawn should not have shallow roots. A lawn gets shallow roots from being cut too short, and not getting watered effectively. Generally, the roots of a lawn are as long as the blades of grass. So if the lawn is only 1" high, chances are, the roots are only 1" deep.
If a lawn is watered at short intervals, the water cannot penetrate very deeply into the soil. If the water is not penetrating into the soil, the grass roots come to the surface looking for moisture, and again, this leads to shallow roots.
You have probably heard this before: raise the mower blade so the lawnmower is cutting the lawn at least 2" high. When the grass is growing quickly in the spring, 2" is a good height. As the grass growing slows down when the weather gets hotter, lawns can be 2.5-3.0" high.
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