LAWN PESTS
MOLES
MOLES 
Moles are small burrowing mammals that live underground. There are two types of moles found in this area. They are the eastern mole and the star-nosed mole. The eastern mole which tunnels near the surface of the soil is the most common. The star-nosed mole tunnels deeper in the ground, but comes up vertically to the surface at seemingly random intervals, creating holes with earth mounded around them.
Moles feed on soil-inhabiting invertebrates such as grubs and earthworms and occasionally on plant bulbs as well. While there is a direct correlation between grub population and mole activity, a lawn may be devoid of grubs and still be damaged by moles. Moles generally live in an underground nest in wooded areas adjacent to the lawns they disrupt. They create two types of tunnels - runways and forage tunnels. Runways are major thruways associated with travel to and from the nest. If this type of tunnel is pressed closed, it will be re-opened by the following day. Forage tunnels usually branch off of runways and are created by the moles in their search for food. These tunnels are very random and convoluted in their direction, and are not re-opened if closed down.
While moles can cause considerable damage to lawn, there is little that can be done to directly eliminate them. Some means of attempting control include the use of traps, poison baits, predatory animals (cats, dogs), and soil fumigation with poison gases. There are also mechanized and electronic devices that supposedly control them via some kind of soil vibrations or ultrasonic waves. To the best of our knowledge, all of these methods produce only limited success.
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GRUBS 
White grubs are the immature (or larval) stage of a dozen or more different beetles, e.g., Japanese beetle, May or June beetles, and others. They are fat, 'C' or 'U' shaped, worm-like, and are found in the soil just brown head, a dark area at the posterior end of the body (the raster) and three pairs of legs close to the head. White grubs hatch from eggs laid in lawn areas by the adult beetles in mid- to late-summer. The eggs hatch and soon the grubs begin feeding on the roots of the turf grass in late-summer and fall. Once the soil temperatures drop in the late-fall and winter, the grubs burrow 6-10 inches below the soil surface and hibernate over the winter. Once the soil temperatures warm up in the spring, they return to the turf's rootzone and begin feeding again. The grubs have only a short feeding period in the spring before they enter their pupae stage in the late-spring or early-summer. Due to the short feeding period and increased root development by the grassplants during the spring, lawn damage is usually outpaced by lawn growth. During pupation the grub's body is transformed into the adult beetle form. The adult beetles emerge from the lawns in early- to mid-summer and feed on foliage of many plants. The adult beetles mate and lay eggs in the mid-summer and the cycle begins anew.
The damage caused to lawns by grubs during the late-summer/fall can reach catastrophic proportions. The insects prune off most of the underground roots, making the plant incapable of acquiring water or nutrients for life support. The grass wilts and dies in large, irregular brown patches. The dead areas and adjacent sod can be rolled back like a carpet, usually exposing the grubs below.
Control of white grubs in lawns can be difficult to achieve. Insecticides used to control them tend to bind with the thatch layer. This can reduce the penetration of insecticides intended to directly contact them. Due to their fast evolutionary cycle, grubs develop immunities to insecticides relatively quickly. Consequently, control products may have a limited life span. The best time to apply insecticides for control of grubs is when they are young and actively feeding, i.e., in the late-summer/early fall. In addition to proper application timing, adequate soil moisture is critical to achieve control. Heavy watering (1-2 hours each area) soon after the application is imperative to successful control.
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As most of you are aware, summer is just about upon us and Japanese beetles will soon appear. These pests damage small trees and shrubs during the hot summer months, and they also lay eggs in the lawn. The eggs later hatch into white grubs in August and devour the roots of the lawn.
Beetle bags are of dubious benefit to the landscaping that you have invested in. Research shows that they can actually attract more beetles to an area than can be caught or controlled. It has been shown that damage to trees and shrubs actually increases near the traps and that grub populations are not decreased in the lawn. Unfortunately, the main benefit of beetle bags seem to be psychological, as they do not actually prevent damage to your trees, shrubs, and lawn.
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