Leather Jackets
Yellow patches on lawn
The ‘headless’ grub
Description
Leather Jackets are lengthy (up to 50mm), legless, seemingly headless, grey brown wiggling tubes. They grow up to become Daddy-long-legs (or more correctly, Crane Flies). They live underground and attack the roots of plants and root vegetables in flower beds and borders. More frequently they attack lawns, eating the roots of the grass.
Symptoms
In flower beds plants will wilt and rapidly collapse. In lawns yellowy brown patches will appear in early to mid Summer as the rootless grass dies. Leather jackets are juicy treats for birds (especially starlings) who will tear out the grass in their search for these big and tasty grubs.
Treatment and control
General tips
Once these grubs are fully grown they are very difficult to control.
Chemical control
Apply a lawn grub killer (imidacloprod) in the Autumn to control newly hatching grubs of Crane Files.
Biological control
Only effective when soil temperatures are consistently above 14°C. A pathogenic nematode can be watered in. This little worm (Steinernema carpocapsae) eats into the grub and releases a fatal bacterium.
Fingertip control
In beds and borders the offending grubs can be picked out and destroyed. In lawns, water the infested area very well (or wait until it has rained heavily). Cover the affected area with black polythene (weighted down) and leave over-night. In the morning remove the polythene and pick up the bugs which have surfaced.
See also:
Always read the label. Use pesticides safely.
Chemical Information
Children, Pets, Wildlife
Information on usage of pesticide when children, pets and/or wildlife are a consideration.
Chemical Usage, Storage, Disposal
Important advice on using chemicals in the garden, chemical storage and safe disposal.
