Post category: Leatherjackets

 

Brown, legless maggots are the larvae of leather jackets or daddy-long-legs. They sometimes eat the roots of a wide range of plants, including grass, weeds, vegetables and strawberries. They are usually only a problem in lawns and ground newly-broken out of grass and weeds, especially after wet summers, and near existing meadows.

Treading heavily on affected patches of lawn gives some control. If black polythene is spread over the affected area for 24 hours and lifted early in the morning, the grubs will be found on the surface, and can be brushed away or exposed for birds to eat. The application of Draza slug pellets is effective too.