Chafers Or Maybug Infestation!

[jazzyb]

Hi,
I have an infestation of chafers/maybugs in my garden and wanted to know if anyone else here has had this?
I've been given different advice of how to deal with it so am now quite confused!!!
Cheerybye!
:)

[Annabel]

:badmood: Blinking things! I had some last year, I just got heavy with the insecticide, Im afraid....

you need one with carbaryl or permethrin in, I was told at the garden centre! :thumbs:

[mazza]

:unsure: what are they?? I have heard of maybugs but not chafers!!!!! :blush:

[Eeyore]

Not heard of either :blink: but blinkin' sawfly have eaten my gooseberry leaves :angry:

[Annabel]

:D maybugs are just beetle like creatures and they have these disgusting white grubs that live in the ground and chew up the roots of the plants...

apparently they like fruit and veg plants and i got them in my garden because there were a couple of potato plants in one of the corners (i had no idea what they were!). i wouldnt have noticed them, except they got on my rose bush :angry:

(chafers are the same as maybugs and not something to do with your grundies :lol: )

[Eeyore]

Thanks for the info Annabel, I've learnt something new :)

Sound like nasty little things :(

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

i've only ever seen a maybug once, it was flying around my sons room and looked huge until it put wings away :bigeyes:

[jazzyb]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies. Annabel, did your treatment work? I was told I'd have to dig up my garden, 6 inches down and re-sow the grass after I've treated it?
I've seen them flying into the neigbours gardens too, so they will be affected at some point in the future too. :(
We don't go in the garden at the minute, it's like a swarm of them. They only seem to fly when the sun is out weirdly enough.
I'm worried that whatever I do that they will be back. I know I can't leave it as it gets progressively worse.

Cheers
jazzyb

[Annabel]

:bigeyes: Cripes, jazzy, its sounds bad! i never had a swarm of them like you, but there were a fair few...in fact if my Dad hadnt pointed them out to me, i would have probably just left them...it was only when he said they will chew your garden to bits that I ventured off to the garden centre.... :bigeyes:

the insecticide worked pretty well for me and i havent seen any this year. i pulled out all the potato plants though in case they were attracted back to them and there were some foul grubs under neath them :blink: :blink: have you got fruit/veg plants in your garden?

I suppose yours have completely taken over your lawn and it is full of grubs...tsk...so i can understand why you would be told to dig up the turf and get rid of it all....get going with the insecticide first though and see if you can get their numbers right down!!! :thumbs:

[jazzyb]

Hi Annabel,
I have literally just put out some cucumber plants a few days ago, they are in a grow bag near where the beasties are. Is it just plants which are rooted with the grass they'll get too or even if they are in a seperate grow bag, will that make any difference? The kids said they won't eat the cucumbers now anyway!
I have a free lawn analysis happening on Friday afternoon so it can be confirmed, this company do offer a treatment for them but it's just a deterant, I want them to die!!!!
I don't like killing anything, in fact we caught one, put it in a jar so we could identify it, yuck I know! I feel guilty every time I see it, it's still alive after three days in the jar! 8-X
Luckily my grass area is fairly small so it could be worse but my other half says the work involved will be enourmous, he doesn't want to do anything! But he hasn't been here and seen them as he's always at work when they come out.

[Annabel]

:badmood: I fear for your cucumbers jazzyb!

have no mercy on these bugs, as they have no mercy on you!!! :pow: :pow:

[jazzyb]

Boohoo! Goodbye cucumbers, pretty scared to see the grubs as I've seen pictures of them and they are sooooo gross! I am a total wimp and be frequently seen in the garden running around like a crazy headless chicken, screaming! :wacko:

[bluezephyr]

cocchafer i think theyre called, i used to fly kites on cromer cliff carpark and anybody who goes on there around dusk time in may/june wil tell you what its like,loads and loads fly about,theyre blind so bump into everything, they sense heat so im told,is why they fly at you,retreat to car is all we could do.

[goosegirl]

www.nationalinsectweek.co.uk has some good information on chafers.

GG. :thumbs: