Adult crane flies are completely harmless — but their larvae are the spawn of Satan, as far as your lawn is concerned. Therefore, you definitely want to keep large numbers of them away from it. Signs you may have a problem with crane fly larvae will start as yellow patches like lawn burn, or patches of dead brown grass, or even patches of bare dirt. Before this becomes a problem for you, there’s an unexpected but common kitchen ingredient you can use to combat them: garlic. Garlic is a known organic pesticide, and it is especially effective in warding off crane fly larvae in particular.
The larvae of crane flies are just as fierce as their parents; they even have their own intense-sounding name: leatherjackets. They’re destructive because they chowing down on your grass roots, grass blades, and basically any other handy plant roots. What’s worse, there are no known chemicals that can kill them. They have to be treated with nematodes, a type of roundworm that kills the larvae. On top of that, it’s likely you’ll need to replace your entire lawn in the case of a bad infestation. So let’s learn how to keep those pesky crane flies as far away from your lawn as pest-ly possible, shall we?
How to use garlic to keep crane flies away
The best thing about using garlic to keep crane flies away is that it doesn’t do any damage to your lawn, and it’s safe for kids and pets. Plus, it’s environmentally safe. The other great thing is there is a variety of ways to use garlic in lawn care: you can use it on crane fly larvae by chopping it up, crushing it, or mixing it up to make a spray. Just think of crane fly larvae as a horde of tiny lawn vampires in silly suits, and then think of yourself as either Biff or Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
All kidding aside, you can crush several cloves of fresh garlic and spread them around areas of suspected problems or known infestations. You can also do this on or around your lawn perimeters, in particular. One of the best ways is to chop up plenty of fresh garlic in small pieces and mix them with water in a garden sprayer. Then, use the mixture as an organic insect repellent and spray the lawn with it in the garden sprayer. This is a wonderful tip for any gardener to keep in his or her bag of tricks and magic organic potions.
