One little blighter to keep an eye out for at the moment is the Crane Fly or Daddy Longlegs. They are an indicator, not the problem as it’s the leather Jackets, the larvae of the crane fly that are. It is only the larvae that causes damage to your lawn, and damage they do.

There are a few key indicators that your lawn could be under attack from this secret assassin so keep an eye out for some or all of the following.

• The Adult crane fly can be seen from late July to September. If you see a lot then be prepared for possible problems in the following year.
• Patches of lawn dry severely quickly and the turf can be pulled or peeled up – look for larvae on or just below the soil surface
• Lawn damage from the local wildlife that have been or seen ripping and pulling up the grass, moss and thatch out of your lawn. Once again look for larvae on or just below the soil surface.
• If you suspect a problem peel back several patches of turf and if you have more than about 5 grubs per square foot then damage will more than likely occur.
• On the upside, Birds find them a tasty treat and they may well invade your lawn in search of them. Watching them tap dancing back and forth. Realistically they generally do very little damage apart from pulling up moss so let them get on with it and clear the lawn of the root eating grubs. You could also video them to some funky music and upload it.

How to control crane fly larvae

• You can get a professional to come and spray your lawn as there is no garden use only chemicals left that you can buy at a garden centre.
• You can buy, Nemasys leather jacket killer which contains nematodes that will seek out and kill the larvae naturally and safely.
• If you have succumbed to a bad attack then scarification, aeration and overseeding will be required this will also help to reduce the population and repair the lawn.