How do I get rid of grubs from veggie patch?

[LaCordillera]

Hello everyone, 

We were recently lifting up some of our backyard turf and realized that we have these bugs everywhere, which apparently are called grubs?

I was checking online and apparently they're no good news (I'm new to Australia, so I don't know much about these guys). The worst part is that the area of turf we lifted was intended to become a veggie patch, which I don't know if we can still build, if we are to use some nasty pesticides. So I guess my questions are:

1) How do we get rid of these buggers?  

2) Is there a solution we could use that would be compatible with the plantation of a veggie patch in the same area?

3) How can I avoid this to happen again? 

Thank you kindly for your time and help! 

Community manager's note: Check out How to control curl grubs and army worms for expert advice.

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @LaCordillera. It's wonderful that you've joined us, and many thanks for your question on curl grubs.

When you say that you have them everywhere, how many would you count within a square meter? If it's just one or two, then that is no real cause for great alarm. If you have more than 10 within the square meter, it's time to control them.

I'd suggest using Multicrop 2L EcoGrub 3 In 1 Insecticide as it is compatible with veggie gardens. It's not a scheduled poison but an organic insecticide. The optimum application time is between mid Spring to mid Summer when the eggs are hatching and larvae are near the soil's surface. You'll also need to ensure thorough coverage of treated areas.

If you continue to have an issue with them, spraying at regular intervals throughout the year will prevent them from being able to grow and cause damage. When you come across these large ones in the future, throw them out onto the ground somewhere, and your friendly neighbourhood magpie will make short work of them. They can be used as a bartering system in Spring. The more you feed to the magpies, the less likely they are to swoop you.

An alternative to spraying the ground and dealing with these curl grubs is to utilise raised garden beds. We have a fantastic range that you might like to check out.

Please let me know if you have questions.

Mitchell