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Leatherjackets in the Lawn.

Leatherjackets are the larvae grubs of the Crane Fly (Daddy Longlegs.) Leatherjackets in lawns are a real pest and can have severe consequences unless killed. They are a pest of the lawn, for they eat the roots of the grass plants causing the grass to die. A small infestation is nothing to worry about, however if you have a lawn full of leatherjackets then the effect can be quite dramatic. In worse cases, resulting in much of the lawn dying and needing substantial remedial treatment.

Leatherjacket grub - a pest in the lawn - the larvae of the Cranefly.
Leatherjacket Approx size

First signs of a leatherjacket attack are during the spring and summer, when small brown patches appear in the grass. This is the result of the grubs feeding upon the roots of the grass. The severity of the problem is dependent upon the number of leatherjackets, and can start as just a few small patches a few inches across – hardly noticeable in an average lawn.

Other signs of leatherjackets in lawns will be birds – mainly starlings – pecking at the lawn to get at the grubs. The birds also do a good job of aerating the lawn, for their beaks can penetrate several inches. It does no damage to the lawn.

Evidence by way of brown spots of the lawn where leatherjacket grubs have been feeding.

If you do not treat the leatherjacket grubs, then you will also see a large number of Crane flies hovering about the lawn area as the grubs emerge as Daddy Longlegs Flies.

These Adult flies then lay eggs in the lawn during autumn, which shortly hatch and start feeding on the lawn roots. The feeding normally stops in winter – unless it is mild – but soon resume again in the spring – thereby completing the cycle as above for leatherjackets in lawns.

Control of Leatherjackets.

There is a biological control by name of Nemasys. This control method - nematodes – is applied in Autumn whilst the soil temperature is still warm. The microscopic nematodes then seek out the leatherjacket grubs ‘invade’ them and destroy them from the inside!

Until recently there was no chemical treatment. However Provado Lawn Grub killer – kills Leatherjackets and also chafer grubs in the lawn is now available from most good garden centres. Again, this should be applied in the autumn.

An old method – which works – is to cover the lawn area with a black plastic sheet at night in damp conditions. Peel back the sheet slowly in the morning and collect up the surfaced leatherjackets. Peel back the sheet slowly, for if you just peel it right back, some of the leatherjackets will escape back down into the lawn to get away from the light.