Chafer beetle infestation

elle123123 · June 2019




Hello - During the winter before last my lawn was dug up by animals and I found that a huge number of chafer grubs were present.I removed a lot of turf and disposed of hundreds of grubs. The following Summer, my roses were very badly attacked by chafer beetles- I attempted to pick them off but there were thousands! This last Winter I had no lawn damage but the beetles are back. Each rose flower has between 6-10 beetles on it. Despite every effort to dispose of them, another batch appears within about 30 mins . There must be millions of them and it's taking ages trying to save my roses. At the end of the garden are fields which are not mown or cultivated in any way. On either side are lawns which are rarely mown but look healthy. Am I fighting a losing battle? The beetles only attack the roses but are ruining them and taking up a lot of my spare time. I know about nematodes but if I am surrounded by untreated grass, is there any point? This has only been an issue for the last 2 Summers, so I am mystified by the sudden massive increase in numbers - nothing short of a plague! Any advice most welcome - feeling rather desperate !! Thank you