At certain times of the year, all lawn care professionals receive a number of calls from panicking homeowners whose lawns are disappearing before their eyes. Sometimes the damage initially appears to be minor. There may be a few patches of dead grass here and there, but this might be the first signs of the devastating damage yet to appear. If untreated, an infestation of Leatherjackets can quickly transform a lush, green lawn into a patchy, muddy mess within weeks. The problem will be one of two possible insects living within the lawn; Leatherjackets or Chafer grubs. This guide focuses on treating is for Leatherjackets, but we have another guide dedicated to tackling Chafer grubs, which you can find HERE.
Most likely, any infestation of Leatherjackets within the UK will be the European Crane fly, Tipula paludosa. There is a similar species of Leatherjacket, Tipula oleracea, but these are less common. If you suspect that your lawn has been infested with Leatherjackets, the sooner you act, the better. Lawnscience offers a free-of-charge, no-obligation lawn review service. Just click on the “Review My Lawn” button below to arrange one.
Leatherjackets are the larval stage of crane flies or daddy longlegs. The larval stage of an insect is the period after birth when the insect is growing into an adult. In the larval stage, they appear as brown or gray, small worm-like grubs that can be up to an inch long depending on age.
There are approximately 350 species of Leatherjacket in the UK of which only a few feed on plant material.
Most people discover their lawn has an infestation when they see the damage caused by the insect devouring the roots of their lawn. If you suspect you have Leatherjackets in your lawn, just dig around in the top inch or two of your lawn and you will likely find them feasting on the roots. Often the lawn is attacked by birds or small mammals trying to get at the larvae for a food source. If you discover a Leatherjacket infestation in your lawn time is of the essence! For a free, no-obligation consultation contact your local Lawnscience professional and they will be pleased to visit and diagnose the problem for you. Just click the “Please Help!” button below.
Leatherjackets are injected into lawns by the female Leatherjacket that can lay up to 400 eggs. The eggs hatch within 14 days producing hungry larvae that start feeding on the lawn’s roots. This initial stage is called the 1st instar. During this period the larvae will be approximately 0.3cm long.
Over the winter months, the larvae develop through the 2nd and 3rd instar stages. Depending upon the severity of the winter the larvae may burrow deeper into the soil profile to keep themselves warm. As spring approaches larvae, now about 3-4 cm move back to the soil immediately under the grass surface to continue their feeding frenzy, this is when most of the damage normally occurs.
During the summer months, the larvae move deeper into the soil profile to pupate. Finally they hatch into Crane flies and emerging from the lawn – and so the cycle begins again.
Most people will never have to deal with a Leatherjacket infestation. A few unlucky, people will have infestations year after year. It has been said that Leatherjackets prefer newer lawns as the roots are better, but in my experience Leatherjackets are laid in all sorts of lawns. Sometimes an infestation can be focused in one particular area. For example, I have known six lawns in a single street being affected at the same time.
The damage done to a lawn varies significantly becasue it is directly proportionate to the number of larvae feeding off lawn. Almost all lawns will have one or two Leatherjackets in them each year, but the serious damage is caused when a high volume of grubs are concentrated in a single area of a lawn.
I have known lawns to have less than two square feet of damage but I have also seen lawns where a severe infestation has caused an entire 200 square meters to completely disappear.
Depending upon the timing of the infestation the damage caused can be an area of soil where the grass has completely died off. In other instances, the damages can appear as large areas of moss. This is becasue the moss has invaded the dead area of the lawn over the winter period.
Whilst the damage caused by a Leatherjacket infestation can be devastating, it can be easily repaired, if the correct process is followed. Additional steps are normally necessary to prevent future damage though and that’s why Lawnscience has 100% Guaranteed service, for your peace of mind.
When you discover that your lawn has a Leatherjacket infestation, you have two choices. You can leave them to get on with devouring your lawn and deal with the damage after they have moved on, or you can take action to reduce the damage caused by the infestation. Controlling Leatherjackets is one of the more difficult issues in lawn care, so it does make sense to arrange for a professional to review the infestation and suggest the optimal course of action.
In days gone by, we could utilise chemical treatments that were very effective in eradicating the insect. however, in recent years tighter controls have been instigated and now only one chemical can legally be used in the UK. The use of this chemical is restricted to professionally trained applicators and strict application rules need to be applied for maximum effect.
There is another option for the control of a Leatherjacket infestation, Nematodes. These are microscopic parasitic worms, Steinernema Feltiae, that when applied in the correct conditions will eventually enter the Leatherjacket via one of its orifices. Once inside the larvae they feed on it and produce a natural bacterium that kills the larvae. For further advice just click on the “Please Help Me” button below.
You cannot stop crane flies from reproducing in your lawn, so the only action you can take is to treat the potential infestation at the correct time of year. Timing and application conditions are critical for success. Your Local Lawnscience professional will be happy to recommend the appropriate treatment schedule to protect your lawn from future Leatherjacket damage.
If you require any specific advice for your lawn, your local Lawnscience professional will be pleased to arrange a visit with you to discuss any potential issues that may arise, and if required, to put in place a plan to protect your lawn from future infestation,. Just click on the “Please Help Me” button below and your local Lawnscience professional will be in touch within 24 hours.
100% Guaranteed Service, for your peace of mind.
Lawnscience Leatherjacket treatments come with our 100% satisfaction guarantee, so you don’t need to worry.
“If you are not completely satisfied with the results of a treatment, we will re-treat your lawn free of charge.
We believe that we are the only UK lawn care provider sufficiently confident in it’s services and professional applicators to offer such a comprehensive guarantee”.
RHS: https://www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/leatherjackets
SYNGENTA: https://www.syngentaturf.co.uk/total-approach-leatherjacket-control
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