#Milky spore granules for voles how to#

Most guides recommend reapplications in the lawn and garden for two consecutive years. Apply the granules in spring, summer, and fall before grubs hatch for the best results. If that’s your plan, spread nematodes at the same time you water. It’s possible to couple applications of these granules with beneficial nematodes. After you apply milky spore granules, water them in. Fill your drop spreader, spread the granules uniformly over the treatment area, and apply them at a rate of 1 pound per 350 square foot area.Īdjust the proportion as needed for larger or smaller areas. Milky spore granules come in a bag of 10 pounds or more and must be applied to the soil with a drop spreader. Both can be found at garden and hardware stores near you. There are two types of commercially available milky spore to treat grubs in lawn and garden areas: either in powder or granular form. You may decide to treat your lawn or garden with milky spore if you’ve seen other evidence of Japanese beetles in your area. If you notice plants that have been “skeletonized” or all but the veins of the leaves have been eaten, this may be a sign that you have Japanese beetles (although some other insects also skeletonized leaves).

#Milky spore granules for voles how to#

How To Apply Milky Spore The adult Japanese beetle. Those that remain in the soil go dormant as they bind to grass cells waiting for more larvae to feed on.

Milky spore bacteria will proliferate within live grubs, but not dead ones. In smaller numbers, Japanese beetle grubs don’t do enough damage to require organic controls.įurthermore, the spore can remain in the soil of a lawn or garden for 2 years, up to 10 years. This makes a lot of sense when you learn the overall goal of isolating the bacterium was population control, not elimination.

Interestingly, milky spore works best in areas where high concentrations (about 10 to 12 per square foot) of Japanese beetles and their offspring live. Today an adapted form of the control is approved for home use. In 1980, scientists discovered Japanese beetles had become resistant to the milky spore bacterium, and the product was pulled from the market. That is attributable to the tons of work done by scientists who individually and artificially infected Japanese beetle grubs with the bacterium. Japanese beetles have experienced a significant drop in population since the 1940s when gardeners and landowners were advised to apply milky spore in powder form. Eventually, the grubs infected with milky spore die, spreading the spores throughout concentrated populations. At 2 to 3 weeks the milky spore populates the Japanese beetle larvae enough for the back end of the grub to turn white. Eventually, the spores move into the hemolymph of the beetle larvae, a place rife with the sustenance this spore loves.Īs the larvae grow and develop, the milky spore continues to infect its body. The spores begin to proliferate within the gut of the Japanese beetle larvae at 2 days and reach peak production at 3 to 5 days.

As Japanese beetle larvae feed on grass roots and the roots of other garden flora, they ingest spore content. popilliae live in soil where yeast, casein, and other amino acids and sugars are available. Other organic insecticides attack grubs, but they are not of this particular strain of bacterium. It is not effective against other damaging grubs. Today, it’s used by homeowners to control infestations of the Japanese beetle, and other grubs too.īut this bacterium is specific to Japanese beetle larvae, grubs, and adult beetles.

This became commercially available in 1948 when landowners would apply milky spore en masse. They then isolated a bacterium called Paenibacillus popilliae, which is the pathogen that causes milky spore disease.Ī spore powder was developed from the bacteria that cause milky spore disease. They attributed the whiteness with what is commonly known as milky spore disease. Scientists studying the insect invasion discovered Japanese beetle grubs with white tails. In the 1930s, Japanese beetles demolished ornamental plants and crops across the United States, so much so that a solution was needed on a national scale. Let’s explore that! What Is Milky Spore Powder? Milky spore powder or granules have been in use for about eighty years. But what exactly is milky spore, and what is the best way to apply milky spore? Is it a specific organic control, or does it affect other animals as many other insecticides do? What are the advantages and trade-offs of using milky spore in your garden and lawn?