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Raine1967

(11,600 posts)
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 03:04 PM Apr 2015

Has anyone had luck with using Milky Spore to rid themselves of grubs?

Specifically these:

I was prepping spoil for the garden and found a bunch. Went and bought some today and I hope it rids me of these nasty buggers this year.

They wiped out my dukes last year and now I see they are in my main veggie bed.

BOO.

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Has anyone had luck with using Milky Spore to rid themselves of grubs? (Original Post) Raine1967 Apr 2015 OP
My understanding is they work but alfie Apr 2015 #1
For now, I'm fine with that. Raine1967 Apr 2015 #2
That's what those white suckers are? Erich Bloodaxe BSN Apr 2015 #3
They are not cicadas. Raine1967 Apr 2015 #4
My cukes did pooorly last year as well. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Apr 2015 #5
Were your plants dying from the ground on up? Raine1967 Apr 2015 #6
A lot of them simply started withering. Erich Bloodaxe BSN Apr 2015 #7
We used milky spore a few years ago NEOhiodemocrat Apr 2015 #8

alfie

(522 posts)
1. My understanding is they work but
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 04:45 PM
Apr 2015

Only where you spread them. There will still be grubs in your neighbors yard unless you all use it.

Raine1967

(11,600 posts)
2. For now, I'm fine with that.
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 05:35 PM
Apr 2015

picked this up from an amazon review:

Milky Spore is ingested by the grubs and the spore multiplies inside of them, eventually taking over the entire grub organism, killing it.


Right now, I just want to make sure my garden survives… if it works, it looks like it might benefit the neighbors.

I hope this works.

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
3. That's what those white suckers are?
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 06:38 PM
Apr 2015

I was somehow thinking they were the larvae for cicadas. Squashed two so far while digging out a new bed I'm working on, and think I saw a number of eggs, but didn't think to squish those, darnit.

Raine1967

(11,600 posts)
4. They are not cicadas.
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 07:30 PM
Apr 2015

I thought they were (nasty as well) cutworms…

These little bastahds are worse than cicada's. They eat the roots of grass and the garden plantings. I am normally all peace and love and stuff — but these things are getting squashed when I find them.

and when I don't — they are gonna chow down on the milky spore.

I really hope this works. I had a tough enough time last year watching my cukes wither away. seeing them in my main garden ben, well that is bug too far.



Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
5. My cukes did pooorly last year as well.
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 07:32 PM
Apr 2015

Working on the new bed, I've actually been separating out the dirt from the grass above by hand, because so many of the worms seem to be right up in around the roots, so if I just skin the bed and pitch the grass roots, dirt and all, I'm losing a lot of worms I don't need to. That's how I've been finding the ones I have so far.

Raine1967

(11,600 posts)
6. Were your plants dying from the ground on up?
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 07:41 PM
Apr 2015

I had good growth especially with the cucumbers.

Then one plant (and then another…) started dying from the grown on up.

I realized the something killed the plants from the roots. I saw a grub or two last fall, and this spring I realized that I was infested. When I saw them in the main bed, I knew, I have a problem.

Save your worms! So far I have not seen a problem with a lack of them. *thank goodness**

Erich Bloodaxe BSN

(14,733 posts)
7. A lot of them simply started withering.
Fri Apr 17, 2015, 07:53 PM
Apr 2015

I wasn't sure why. And I thought I was watering enough, but what few cukes I got wound up bitter.

I've got garlic in that seems to have overwintered well, and some potatoes in raised beds, and a few onions so far. Had to put up new fencing all around the patio, as it turns out the new beagle mix is an escape artist and could get over the old, so I'm thinking of putting something decorative that climbs along the new fencing. Can't do edibles that close to the house, I'm certain they scraped paint with lead off at some point in the past, since it's an older house, so nothing edible gets planted in the ground anywhere close in to the house. Got a lot of sunflowers coming up already too. The new bed will get the tomato seeds I got from one of our fellow DUers who literally 'wrote the book' on tomatoes. Oh, and that reminds me, I've still got some ornamental black cotton to plant along the back fence to provide nesting material for birds.

NEOhiodemocrat

(912 posts)
8. We used milky spore a few years ago
Thu Apr 23, 2015, 12:40 AM
Apr 2015

I feel there is a definitely decline in the amount of Japanese beetles. It takes several years to really see the decrease, but it was worth it in my opinion.

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