QuestionI want to treat my lawn and garden with Milky Spore and am wondering when is the best time for this - can I do it now or must I wait until Spring for the best results.
AnswerMilky Spore Powder:
Apply one level measure teaspoon of Milky Spore powder on top of grass in spots every four feet in rows four feet apart. Use 10 ounces per 2500 square feet (50 feet by 50 feet) or 40 ounces per 10000 square feet (100 feet by 100 feet). Treat your lawn any season of the year when the ground is not frozen. Water lightly after application to soak spores into soil. Areas between spots will be inoculated naturally. Highly efficient control cannot be expected until the entire area is inoculated. Milky Spore has been known to last 15 years or longer with one application.
Milky Spore is a naturally occurring bacteria that is effective in controlling Japanese beetle grubs only. This product is best applied on an overcast day in late September or early October to a soil that has a pH level between 6 and 7. The results are not as fast as the chemical insecticides, but the effects last many years. Once established the milky spore will naturally spread to untreated areas. As a last point, studies have indicated that traps for Japanese beetle adults have no real impact or the populations in the area and may draw in others from as much as a 1/4 mile away
How Milky Disease Works
Beetle grubs burrow through the soil, feeding on roots and other vegetable matter; they take in the spores along with particles of soil and other material. The spores germinate inside the grubs, and multiply rapidly in their blood. When the bacteria become very numerous in the blood they again form spores, completing the bacterial cycle.
Some diseases kill insects in a few hours or days, but the milky disease works slowly. Infected grubs may live for months after their blood has become loaded with spores, particularly if temperatures are low.
Sometimes, grubs that become infected late in fall will live until spring. After spores appear in the blood, grubs usually do not develop further; they eventually die.
How Milky Disease Affects Adult Beetle Populations
Applications of milky spore to lawns and parks are most effective in reducing adult beetle populations when it is done on a community basis. When all land in a community is thoroughly inoculated with milky-disease bacteria, it usually is not possible for large numbers of grubs to survive and transform into adults.
Treatment of a single homesite will protect turf from injury by grubs. It may not protect against adult beetles that fly in from gardens, orchards, untreated turf, or other untreated areas.
