Grubs are in the Garden and I need to evict them before I can plant out my cucumbers. In this video I’ll share with you how I use Beneficial Nematodes from Arbico Organics to do the pest control for me.
What are beneficial nematodes?
Beneficial nematodes are microscopic, non-segmented roundworms that are natural parasites of many insect pests. They’re completely safe for humans, pets, plants, and beneficial insects like earthworms, ladybugs, and lacewings. Think of them as tiny, highly effective assassins for your garden!
This is the 3 Pack of Beneficial Nematodes I purchased.
https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/beneficial-nematodes-triple-threat-combo/beneficial-nematodes
From the Arbico Website:
“The Triple-Threat Combo includes each of three beneficial nematode species: Heterorhabditis bacteriaphora, Steinernema carpocapsae and Steinernema feltiae. Use this combination to achieve the broadest coverage of a wide variety of soil dwelling pest populations or if you are unsure of the specific pests you have.”
What kind of grubs are in my garden?
June Bug Grubs (White Grubs): These C-shaped, creamy-white larvae are the notorious root-eaters. They’re the immature stage of various scarab beetles, including the common June beetle. They can wreak havoc on your vegetable roots, leading to wilting, stunted growth, and even plant loss. In Florida, June bug grubs can be active year-round, though their peak feeding times are generally late summer and fall when they’re actively munching on roots. You might notice brown patches in your lawn or garden, or find it easy to pull up sections of turf, indicating severed roots. The adult June bugs themselves also feed on foliage, leaving ragged holes in leaves.
What causes grubs in the garden?
Adult beetles lay eggs in moist soil. Lack of natural predators, abundant organic matter, and consistently damp conditions create ideal grub breeding grounds.
What do grubs do to your garden?
Grubs feast on plant roots, causing wilting, stunted growth, and eventually the plant fails to thrive. Infested plants easily pull from the soil. Their tunneling also disrupts root systems.
What kills grubs?
Beneficial nematodes are highly effective. These microscopic roundworms, like Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Hb), parasitize grubs. They enter the grub, release lethal bacteria, and then reproduce, creating new grub-hunting nematodes. Chemical insecticides and milky spore (less effective for Florida grubs) are other options.
How do beneficial nematodes work?
These “entomopathogenic nematodes” actively seek out their prey in the soil. Once they find a suitable host (like a grub or flea larva), they enter the pest’s body through natural openings. Inside, they release symbiotic bacteria that multiply rapidly, eliminating the pest within 24-48 hours. The nematodes then reproduce within the host, releasing a new generation of nematodes to continue the hunt.
How long does it take for beneficial nematodes to destroy grubs?
Nematodes typically destroy grubs within 24-48 hours post-infection. You’ll likely see a noticeable reduction in grub damage within 2-4 weeks as the nematode population establishes and spreads.
Is there a downside to nematodes?
Yes, they are live organisms. They require moist soil, are sensitive to direct UV light and extreme temperatures (optimal 55-90°F), and have a limited shelf life (store refrigerated). You must select the correct nematode species for your target grub. They offer control, not total eradication.
What month should you apply beneficial nematodes?
In Florida, the best time for grub control is late summer to early fall (August-October). This targets young, vulnerable grubs actively feeding near the soil surface, during suitable temperatures and often good soil moisture.
Can you use too many nematodes?
No, you cannot. Nematodes are harmless to plants, humans, pets, and beneficial insects. While over-applying isn’t cost-effective, it won’t damage your garden. Their population naturally regulates based on grub availability.
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This video: https://youtu.be/kAUMxb3m3NI
Cucumber Condo – Growing Parthenocarpic Cucumbers Under Mesh https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlFCKM1rTPP66P1ENEbDeby0EuDONCHEu
Thank you for watching.
The cucumber condo is an experiment to grow cucumbers and avoid garden pests! I’m controlling cucumber bugs and using mesh, like a row cover, to avoid pickle worms this year. I am making the most of my suburban lot.
behind me here is what I am calling the cucumber condo it is my test for growing pathnocarpet cucumbers under mesh to keep away things like pickle worms but before I can do that I need to control another pest you see the funny thing about having this mesh and it’s been fully enclosed until now is that every time I would come out here there would be these big brown bugs in the edge in fact there’s still one more right here that right there is a June bug here in Florida and so while the June bug itself doesn’t do a whole lot of damage it mates burrows down into the soil like it’s doing here to lay its eggs and that’s where we get the grubs that you’re accustomed to seeing now I saw one on the surface here a minute ago but I think it’s already buried its way back in but that’s okay because today we have the solution those grubs are getting an eviction notice let’s go over to the other side of the garden and I’ll show you what we’re going to do we are going to use beneficial nematodes we got these from our Beco Organics based on a video we saw from Jacques in the garden and we chose the threeack one that allows and waits for passing pets such as fleas or cutworms flies termites this one waits for passing pets such as cabbage maggot humpback flies onion maggots pillworm crown raspberry crown bore and more and then here are sedentary pests like queen ants asparagus beetles moths grubs and more and so we’re going to mix all of these together and treat the cucumber condo and probably a few other beds because I have enough here to treat about 1,600 square ft now the instructions say to start with 8 oz of water mix in the nematodes and let them sit for about 20 minutes the nematodes are a live organism and so I had the I had these delivered they came in last week and they’ve been in the fridge but they said you can’t keep them for more than two weeks and so we’ll get all these in here and they also said once you open them you have to use it all up you can’t preserve it or save it for another time i happen to be using well water here if I didn’t have well water I would be using my rain water though they don’t mention it anywhere that I could easily see on the site they just said fill with water i assume chlorinated water is okay since they don’t say otherwise but it just feels like to me uh not putting chlorine on a living organism seems like the way to go i’m going to set myself a timer for 20 minutes and go ahead and finish prepping the first bed now it said to go ahead and give your bed a nice watering in i’ve already had the drip irrigation on this this morning but I’m going to go ahead and give it another nice little soaking to get ready for the beneficial nematodes and since I’ll have more than enough I’m actually going to spray my cucumber plants as well maybe that will help with some of the pickleworm pressure we’re having right now for the application we’re going to use a hose end sprayer i did not order one from them i found one in the garden shed but the thing they said to make sure is that you don’t have a filter on the end following the instructions that they have on their website I am setting this to 4 ounces i’m going to split those neatodes up into two different doses so I’ll do the north side and then the south side of the garden and just for funsies today is June 1st and I think it’s kind of funny that today is the day I’m evicting the June bug grub this has been the longest 20 minutes yes we’ll dismiss you and so I’m going to give that a good stir one more time and something they said is to continue agitating it so you don’t so it stays mixed up as you’re applying it and so I am just following the instructions that they had right at the website where I made this purchase and so we’re going to put about half and I am going to finish filling this to the 32 ounce line and the idea is that you’re giving a good watering in there are 5 million actually in my case because it’s all three kinds 15 million beneficial nematodeses in here and we’re gonna spread them around it’s important for me to share that while I am going to spray this on existing vegetation like my cucumbers and my tomatoes or into this soil i will not be spraying this in the back where I have um feeder plants for the different butterfly pollinators like the milkweed or the ironweed or the dill if I have some of that but all of those kind of plants I am not going to spray because I do not want the nematodes if they actually attack them to affect my butterfly population because they aren’t eating my food like some of the grubs and the pickleworm moth i don’t know if they actually would affect them i’m just not going to take that chance i am using well water for this but if I did not have well water this application could be done just with a regular watering can and so you could mix this up and pour it into your garden beds and on your plants with a watering can using rainwater and again they don’t talk about chlorinated water but it’s just my gut feeling that these little microbes will survive better not being chlorinated and so got to give it a pull and spray it out i can see why it’s a lot easier doing it with a hose in sprayer all right let’s move on to some of the other beds i’m going to give it another little shake here beneficial nematodes on their website says are not harmful to humans or pets so that is reassuring oh oh I spy I spy with my little eye i spy with my little eye a horn worm that is eating his fill on my tomato plants cuz look how big he is and look how they just blend in let’s take a quick time out and go feed this one to the fish i don’t know if you can see the fish are ready they’re ready for a little snack and so this is the snack they’re going to get and just like that the circle of life i must admit that is pretty satisfying so when I have the smaller army worms sometimes I’ll come down and do that and then sometimes I just feed them to the patio lizards so there’s that too and since it also works on fleas I’m going to spray the area right around the patio where the cats like to come and roll in the grass maybe that’ll give us a little bit of flea relief for the outdoor kitties all right this side’s done let’s head south go ahead and put the rest of the neatodes in there because we are growing quite a bit of squash over here i’m kind of excited to see if this will uh help with any squash vine bores now I also know that my cats like to sleep back behind this bed and so since I’ve got something for fleas in here I’m going to go ahead and spray back there too in their little hiding spots and now that that eviction notice has been served it’ll be about 7 to 10 days for it to be effective meantime I can start up those cucumber seeds and get ready for fall cucumber planting here in Northeast Florida if you want to see more about the cucumber condo be sure to check out this playlist right over here and until next time my friends remember to drink plenty of water wear that high quality sunscreen and as always have a fantastic day
2 Comments
Those fish are so viscious! Always ready for a snack!
I NEVER use city water in my garden! I wouldn't drink it and I won't make my garden drink it! I use only rain water when in Fla but up here in Idaho it doesn't rain so Mom and I use the well.