But they do the most damage early in the gardening season, when they emerge from hibernation. Damage can occur any time from late May through the rest of the growing season. What you’ll see: Damaged spots look like small, round dead areas and can persist for several weeks.

Some large caterpillars stick their heads out of their burrows at night, chop off grass plants within reach, and pull the blades back into the burrow for later nibbling. As they grow, they move deeper into the thatch, carving burrows. Tiny caterpillars hatch out and begin to munch on the foliage. When the adults return, they lay eggs on the tips of grass blades. What it does: Adults, as moths, migrate south in the autumn and return in the spring. Several species of cutworms attack turf in New England. Insecticides can be used on larger, established grubs in late summer or fall. How to control it: The best time to control grubs, with preventive grub treatment, is in early summer, just after they hatch and before they start causing extensive damage to your lawn. What you’ll see: Irregular patches of yellowed or dead grass. They’re most destructive mid to late summer, but the damage they cause may not show up until early fall and by then, it’s too late. What it does: The grub lives below ground and feeds on the roots of tender grass plants, killing the grass.

The European chafer grub, seen in the accompanying photo, isn’t as widespread as the Japanese beetle, but it’s even more damaging to home lawns.

Department of Agriculture, Japanese beetle grubs alone cause an estimated $234 million in damage each year, including the cost to control them and to replace damaged turf. Grubs may be the most damaging lawn pests in the United States. Grub actually refers to the larval stage of many different beetles, including the Japanese beetle and the June bug.

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