Finding The Truth About The African Lawn Beetle

We usually refer to African Black Beetles as Lawn Beetles, and place all sorts of blame on them for the ills of our lawns health, but is this a true belief, or an urban myth? And is it necessary to kill lawn beetles?

The Problem With Lawn Beetles

Through the larva stage of their life cycle, the Lawn Beetle will chew away at the roots of our lawns as its primary food supply. With its roots being attacked, the natural assumption is to believe this is a bad thing, that without roots our lawns will surely die. So the Lawn Beetle must be Lawn Enemy Number 1.

Perhaps not so.

Lets Look Further At Lawn Beetles

While the larvae most definitely feeds on the roots of lawns, they generally keep moving throughout the soil, rarely concentrating on a single small area. Having a feed here and there, and never doing enough damage to a single root system to cause it to kill the lawn plant it is supporting.

In turn, the lawns response is to replace it's lost roots with new, younger and more vigourous roots, and this is good for the lawn.

Another Factor

Lawn Beetle activity increases as temperature increases.

This is exactly the same as the growth and health patterns in lawns, so as beetle activity increases, so does the ability of the lawn to repair itself. In fact, a lawn would have to be severely infested before the damage from beetles could ever outpace the lawns ability to repair and grow from any damage caused. And as lawns become dormant during the Winter, so do the beetles.

Yet Another Lawn Beetle Benefit

Yes, there is still one more benefit to having Lawn beetles in your lawn.

As the beetles and larvae burrow throughout our lawns, they leave behind them masses of tiny trails and tunnels.

This has the effect of naturally aerating the soil beneath the lawn, allowing vital oxygen to circulate into the soil for the roots of the lawn to be able to take up.

So the Lawn Beetle could be referred to as Natures Lawn Coring Machines.

When Beetles Become A Problem

When lawns are suffering from poor health due to lack of care, lack of nutrients, or lack of water or sunlight, the damage factor of the beetles can outpace the repair abilities of the lawn.

Also, beetles can rarely gather to great enough numbers to outpace the lawns ability to repair itself.

In these cases, treatment to control and kill lawn beetles should be considered.

Lawn Beetle Treatment

In the rare case that control of African Lawn Beetle may need to be sought, simple dusts are available in most nurseries for a few dollars. Once applied to the lawn, the dust is then watered in, and dead beetles will continue to appear on the lawn surface for up to a month later.