Leatherjacket Control in Cardiff & South Wales
For leatherjackets, lawn grass makes for an inviting home. Unfortunately for homeowners, they don’t make for very good tenants! If you have leatherjackets in your lawn, Lawn & Weed Expert can help you get the problem under control.
Leatherjackets are crane fly larvae. The fly lays its eggs in the ground – often a lawn – in August or September (dependent on soil temperature). The maggots that emerge from those eggs are known as leatherjackets, and once they have hatched, they will start to eat the grass stem and roots just below the surface of the lawn.
Crane fly eggs tend to hatch during the autumn, so damage from leatherjackets in your lawn may appear in November or December depending on the scale of the problem. The larvae can continue to grow and cause problems all the way through winter and into early spring if left unchecked.
Without leatherjacket control measures, these grubby soil-dwellers can strip whole lawns, turning the grass brown as they destroy the roots. The resulting bare patches can then be colonised by moss and weeds, causing further issues for your lawn.
Leatherjackets are crane fly larvae. The fly lays its eggs in the ground – often a lawn – in August or September (dependent on soil temperature). The maggots that emerge from those eggs are known as leatherjackets, and once they have hatched, they will start to eat the grass stem and roots just below the surface of the lawn.
Crane fly eggs tend to hatch during the autumn, so damage from leatherjackets in your lawn may appear in November or December depending on the scale of the problem. The larvae can continue to grow and cause problems all the way through winter and into early spring if left unchecked.
Without leatherjacket control measures, these grubby soil-dwellers can strip whole lawns, turning the grass brown as they destroy the roots. The resulting bare patches can then be colonised by moss and weeds, causing further issues for your lawn.
What Does a Leatherjacket Look Like?
- No legs
- Brown-grey colour
- Cylindrical shape
- Mandibles at one end
Signs of Leatherjackets in Your Lawn
- Grass turning yellow despite rainfall
- Bare patches near shady areas
- Birds pecking at your lawn and trying to eat the larvae
How to Remove Leatherjackets
If faced with an infestation of leatherjackets, lawn treatment is a wise choice. Lawn & Weed Expert can be reached at 0800 111 4958 – our specialist services are available in Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, and across South Wales.
Upon identifying leatherjackets in a lawn, we usually recommend the following:
- Apply liquid insecticide (1-2 treatments in autumn or spring)
- Alternatively, granular insecticide can be spread on the lawn as a preventative measure in the summer
- Nematodes (small, worm-like insects that eat leatherjackets) may be introduced to the lawn in August or other periods of dry weather.
Repairing Damage Caused by Leatherjackets
When it comes to leatherjackets, lawn damage can be serious if they aren’t dealt with swiftly and effectively. In fact, if leatherjackets have caused havoc in your garden, there is a chance that your grass may not grow back even once the infestation is under control. Depending on the scale of the damage, we may recommend:
- Using herbicide to control any weeds that have appeared
- Scarifying to remove dead moss
- Aerating to improve ventilation
- Top dressing and overseeding
