Dealing With The Cranberry Girdler

By Neoma Archer

What comes to your mind when somebody tells you to think of cranberries? A good number of people will think of a fruit that is delicious and juicy and is fresh. Now when you are told to think of a cranberry girdler, what comes to your mind this time? There are people who would believe that it is some kind of food that has to do with the cranberry. But it sure is not. This cranberry girdler is the actual opposite of the things that you would describe the cranberry.

What are cranberry girdlers you may ask? Well, the thing is, cranberry girdlers are actually insects. They look like worms though they are not really such. They are usually gray or dirty white in color and have a head that is brown-orange in color. It is just around 3/4 of an inch long and they bear no markings that are distinct to them. They may be small and look harmless but they can bring much chaos to your lawn or your garden. Now that is something that you do not want to happen after all the effort you had put into it.

You may not actually notice that your lawn or your garden already has cranberry girdlers in them. See, these insects actually work their way right in the important parts of the grass and they stay there. You will find them usually in the crown of the grass and even in the roots. With that, they stay away from sight but they really do much damage. They actually start taking in the nutrients from the plants so much so that the grass starts to have less of what it needs to be healthy. The grass then withers and browns up and when you try to pull it out, it can be easily done and it would be as if you were just pulling out a rug from your homes floor.

Aside from the sign that the grass is turning brown, you will also notice that when you pull out the brown parts of the grass, you will see what is beneath it. When you see larvae below, then you have a cranberry girdler infestation. Do not take that for granted because they easily work their way through the crown and roots of the plants and the next thing you know, there are no more green patches. Instead, all of what you see is brown. Now that would not be a good sight for your eyes.

Apply insecticide where the cranberry girdlers are - and that is on the brown areas. Check back weekly to see if it works. If the brown areas are still spreading, apply more insecticide. You have successfully stopped the insects when the brown areas remain as they are and there are already dead insects on the soil already. - 30234

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