Pilot treatment will use a biological product that is non-toxic for humans, pets, birds, bees, butterflies
Due to a continued infestation of beetle grubs along Victory Memorial Drive, contractors for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) are scheduled to treat turf on targeted areas on Thursday-Friday, August 24-25 and/or Monday-Tuesday, August 28-29.
Beetle grubs, also known as white grubs, feed on healthy turf, eventually causing it to die back. This pilot treatment involves preventing additional damage by spraying an organic, biological insecticide on a section of healthy turf on the Drive between Osseo Road and Washburn Avenue. The product’s active ingredient, known as Btg, is toxic to beetles in the Scarab family when ingested, but is non-toxic for humans, pets, birds, bees, and butterflies.
Required signage will be posted near and on treated areas. MPRB staff will continue to monitor these areas to assess whether the treatment is effective in preventing damage. It’s possible additional treatments will be required.
In the meantime, damaged turf areas will be dormant-seeded later this fall, which will allow new turf to establish next spring after the snow melts.
Background
MPRB’s draft updated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy and Park Board ordinances require staff to take incremental steps in managing pests, starting with the least toxic options and prioritizing organic options when available.
In accordance with the policy, staff have been monitoring the beetle grub infestation along Victory Memorial Drive for the past several seasons. This year, damage from the infestation exceeded the policy’s established threshold for turf in formal park areas, triggering the next step: treatment with an organic, biological insecticide.
The selected product for this organic pilot treatment uses Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae (Btg), a naturally occurring soil bacterium. To prevent the spread of a grub infestation, it is applied to healthy turf, where female beetles lay eggs to provide an abundant food source for their offspring.