Watch out! There could be an invisible killer lurking in your lawn.

Crane flies emerge from the pupal stage in late July and August and begin laying eggs within 24 hours.

The crane fly lays its eggs in the lawn and, after about two weeks the leatherjacket grubs begin munching through the root system. While you're none the wiser, they continue to feed right through winter and spring until they pupate and the whole cycle begins again.

The first you might know of any infection is in spring when the leatherjackets are at their most mature. You may see random, yellow patches of grass and the grass itself will come away easily with a little tug because their roots have been damaged. Other tell-tale signs might be a marked increase in the amount of crows pecking around in your lawn soon after rainfall. Don't chase them away, they're eating all the leatherjackets.

If you lay a damp piece of newspaper on your turf and leave it for a few hours, you might see the grey grubs on the surface when you pull the newspaper back. Be careful not to pick them up - the little blighters can bite!

Chemical treatment for leatherjackets used to be a bit hit and miss but you can now get a nematode worm that will attack and kill the larvae within two weeks and the best time to apply it is between August and the end of October while the soil is still warm

The nematodes are specific to leatherjackets and therefore will cause no harm to other wildlife and, unlike a chemical pesticide, the leatherjacket will not develop a resistance to it. You need to water them in when the grass is damp and keep the grass damp for a couple of weeks after application. Don't apply in direct sunlight as UV light can kill the nematodes so wait for a dull day or apply in the evening.

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