Question: Some yards in my neighborhood have an enormous number of grubs. What causes them to suddenly show up?
— M.S.
Answer: Phyllis Smith, a natural resources and environmental systems extension agent with the N.C. Cooperative Extension, Forsyth County center, explained what the grubs are and how they show up.
“White grubs are the larva of certain beetles, including, but not limited to, Japanese and June beetles. Around here, eggs were most likely laid in the soil by adults in late June and hatched in July,” she said.
The grubs live a year in the grass and feed on grass roots, which keeps them near the surface. In the fall, when frost begins, they will hibernate deeper in the ground until spring when they become beetles.
“Occasionally white grubs come all the way to the surface after a heavy rain. This provides a good food opportunity for small mammals and hungry birds, especially our neotropical migrants, which need large amounts of energy for their southern migration,” Smith said.
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Smith recommends not treating your yard with pesticides when you see the grubs. Instead, use a “natural pest control,” and let the birds and small animals eat them.
There is another biological treatment you can use, it’s milky spore bacteria, available at most garden centers.
“This is only effective for Japanese beetles, but these make up the majority of grubs in most lawns.
“Now is the best time to apply this type of product. Once established in the soil, it will eventually kill grubs. If applied correctly at the right time of the year, milky spore can spread to adjoining areas and last many years,” Smith said.
Other products are available to prevent grubs but should be used before the eggs are laid in the spring. The product should also say on the label that it’s effective against white grubs. Follow all label directions carefully.
N.C. State Extension has information on its website about grub management. It’s called White Grubs in Turf and is available at https://www.turffiles.ncsu.edu/insects/white-grubs-in-turf/.
Q: The price of regular gasoline went up 30 cents overnight recently at most of the stations in my area. Gas retailers used to wait until their next delivery to raise prices. How can they justify increasing prices until they receive new, more expensive supplies?
— J.L.
A: This question has come up from several people in light of the decision earlier this month by OPEC+ to cut petroleum production.
Haresh Gurnani, a professor and the Thomas H. Davis Chair at the Wake Forest University School of Business, explained why gas retailers raised prices so quickly on the heels of the announcement.
Gurnani researches, among other things, disruptions and restorations in the supply chain.
“Prices at the local pump are affected by two key factors: visibility into global oil prices at the macro level and competition in the immediate neighborhood.
“For the last couple of months, there had been a steady downward trend in oil prices leading to lower prices at the pumps. This was largely based on predictions of slowdown in global economies in response to increases in interest rates by central banks.
“A downward trend in prices also reduces the incentive for gas stations to have more inventory as future prices were expected to stay low with a steady decline. With the announcement of production cuts by OPEC, the price trend suddenly reversed, leading to a large spike in global oil prices ...
“... Any increase in global oil price is quickly passed on to consumers,” he said.
— Melissa Hall,
Winston-Salem
Journal
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