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Should be applied when the soil temperature is above 12°C (54F) and when the leatherjackets are at the correct stage in their life cycle. This will be late August till the end of October. An easy way to judge the correct time is to apply two weeks after a large number of crane fly are seen. After this application time the leatherjackets will begin to mature, moving towards pupation in the spring and the nematodes will find it difficult to penetrate and kill the pest. Leatherjackets are the larval stage of the crane fly or daddy long legs. Crane flies or daddy long legs lay their eggs in the same area of lawn from which they emerge, so numbers increase rapidly. These eggs hatch in August / Sept and the larvae immediately start to feed on the grass roots. The leatherjackets will feed though the autumn, before overwintering. They start feeding again the following spring and gorge on grass roots before pupating to emerge as adults in August. The symptoms of an attack are :- Grass growth slows and yellow patches appear. Grass easily pulled up with little or no root growth. Birds, particularly starlings, will pull at the lawn in search of the leatherjackets. In August, customers report clouds of daddy long legs emerging from lawns in early morning leaving behind the casings sticking up in the lawn . As the daddy long legs emerge, they start to lay their eggs back in infected lawns starting the whole cycle again - the next generation of leatherjackets hatch within 2 weeks. Leatherjackets are 2.5cm / 1" long, greyish black in colour, legless and with no distinct head. The lawn must be moist (we recommend pre - watering) and apply on a dull day or in the evening. After application you MUST wash in the nematodes by watering heavily by hose or by sprinkler. To apply, simply mix the nematodes with water. Apply with watering can or hose end feeder.
