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.
Are there already cranberry girdlers in your lawn or garden? You may not notice yet but these insects may already be there. They do their damage on the important portions of the grass. They would be usually in the crown and in the roots. From above, you will not see them but they are already doing what they do best. They get the nutrients from the grass so the grass becomes unhealthy and dies. That is why you will see brown patches when there are cranberry girdlers. Try to pull up those brown patches and you will see it pulling out easily.
The grass turning brown is one sign that cranberry girdlers have already found home in your lawn or garden. Another sign is when you pull out the brown patches of dead grass, you will see larvae in the soil beneath it. Now that you know such, do not take it for granted because they can spread easily and work their way through your entire lawn. Leave them at that and you may not have a green lawn anymore but a cranberry girdler-infested brown one.
What you can do is to get out your favorite insecticide. Start applying it on the brown patches which are where the cranberry girdler has affected. Check on the progress weekly. If the brown patches are still growing, continue to apply insecticide. When the brown spots are no longer spreading and you see dead insects on the soil, you have done it well.
Tags: garden
