​Ants, Lawn Beetles & Lawn Grubs 

 

Symptoms of Ant damage

Dry looking and dead patches in lawns and mounds of soil on top of the lawn. Symptoms in plants include wilted and dry foliage, brown foliage and/or dead plants. This is caused by excessive tunnelling by ants, increasing evaporative loss of water in the soil, causing lawns and plants to dry out.

Ants can be found in human and pet foodstuffs which can contaminate food. Some ants may harbour plant and/or animal pathogens which may spread and transmit diseases.

Ants generally do not damage plants directly but sometimes do steal freshly sown seed from freshly seeded lawns, garden beds and seed boxes.

Most damage to plants from ants occurs indirectly. Ants form a symbiotic relationship with honeydew producing and plant-sap-sucking insects such as aphid, scale, psyllids, mealy bug, whitefly, and leafhoppers.  Honeydew is farmed by the ants and in exchange, pests are protected from predators. These pests feed on the sap of plants which can cause the new growth to wilt, plant health to deteriorate and in worse cases, result in plant death. Ants sometime physically carry these pests from one plant to another, further spreading the infestation. Sooty mould is a secondary disease caused by excess honeydew remaining on the leaf surface and is a good indication of this kind of pest attack.

Bites and stings are often accompanied by redness, swelling, itchiness, burning and pain. There are various remedies for ant bites and stings such as washing the site of bite or sting, applying a cold pack and/or applying an anaesthetic spray. If symptoms do not improve or if allergic to ants, seek urgent medical aid.

 

What Plants are Impacted by Ants

• Lawns, garden plants, indoor and outdoor potted plants.

• Nests and excessive tunnelling caused by ants can cause dead patches in the lawn and plants to deteriorate and/or die. This is due to evaporative loss of water in the soil, causing lawns and plants to dry out.

• Most damage to plants from ants occurs indirectly. Ants form a symbiotic relationship with honeydew producing and plant-sap-sucking insects such as aphids, scale, psyllids, mealy bugs, whitefly and leafhoppers. Various plants prone to sap-sucking pests:

• Fruit trees such as citrus, apples, figs, stone fruit trees, etc.

• Non-edible plants such as roses, fuchsias, magnolia, camellia, azalea, lillypilly, murraya, pittosporum, viburnum and many more.

• Freshly planted seed can be removed from the soil and carried away to the nest. 

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Grubs / Beetles

Grubs are the larvae of various beetles that feed on the roots and rhizomes of your grass.

Dead patches developing in the lawn are often the first indication that grubs may be present. The continued presence of carnivorous birds (e.g. magpies) is also a sign that the lawn may have an issue with grubs.

 

Drenching an area of damaged lawn with soap water and watching for 10 minutes should bring any grubs to the surface allowing you to identify the problem. This is best done in the evening time, as the sun is going down.

 

Peak egg laying occurs mid Spring to early Summer. Eggs hatch in the Summer & Autumn and start feeding on the roots.

 

The African Black Beetle itself is not a major concern. A lawn would have to be severely infested before the damage from beetles could ever outpace the lawns ability to repair and regrow from any damage caused. As lawns become dormant during the Winter, so do the beetles.

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