Q: I’m trying to control beetle grubs in my lawn and garden with milky spore bacteria. I have a compost heap. If I treat the heap with milky spore, will I be spreading the bacteria where I use compost? Or will the heat in the compost heap kill the spores?

A: Milky spore bacteria is a slow-acting way to control Japanese beetle grubs in a lawn. The bacteria won’t last long in the compost heap because it needs the beetle grubs in which to grow and multiply. Unless you have a lot of grubs in the compost, I think heat and normal decomposition would destroy most of the bacteria before it’s of much use to you.