Gardeners warned over pest which destroys your lawn and turns grass yellow

Gardeners are being warned about a pest which destroys your lawn and turns grass yellow, with 'patchy and unhealthy growth'.

Leatherjackets are a problem for which can be hard to spot, because they live underneath your lawn, hiding beneath the grass, slowly sapping at it and turning it to ruin.

That's why gardeners are being warned to spot the signs of leatherjackets if their lawn isn't as healthy as it should be, and take steps to sort it out now for a healthier, greener this summer. Leatherjackets flourish after wet winters, like the one we've just had, and then grow from their larval stage into fully hatched crane flies, otherwise known as daddy long legs. The flies don't cause any issues, it's the leatherjacket larval stage which damages .

The Grass People.com warns : "If you have noticed little clusters of yellowed, dead forming on your lawn with birds (particularly Starlings!) digging into these patches, then you very well may have a leatherjacket infestation on your lawn!

"Being one of the most common lawn in the UK, leatherjackets are small, brown, grubs that hatch from the eggs of crane flies (aka daddy long legs). They feed on the roots of grass, weakening your lawn and causing patchy, unhealthy growth.

"Crane flies will lay eggs in most UK lawns, and some may never hatch - but if conditions are wet and damp for a considerable amount of time (e.g. during a particularly wet winter), this will cause them to hatch and begin to live under your lawn. If your lawn suffers from poor drainage, this will only amplify these unfavourable conditions."

The best way to stop leatherjackets is to aerate your lawn, which prevents rainwater from building up and reduces the damp conditions that causes leatherjackets to thrive.

The experts added: "In order to prevent leatherjackets, you will need to regularly aerate your lawn to create pockets of air in the soil to allow it to breathe and encourage the flow and dispersal of rainwater, working to lessen the damp & wet conditions leatherjackets thrive in."

World backs this up, adding that leatherjackets can kill flowers and plants in flowerbeds as well as lawns.

They said: "Because some feed on the roots of grasses, they can cause noticeable damage in lawns, especially if present in large numbers. In flower beds or plots, seedlings and small plants can be killed if the stems are damaged, however lawn grass usually recovers.

However, Gardeners World is urging gardeners to consider whether they really need to interfere with leatherjackets - after all, insect numbers are significantly down, and the little grubs can help feed hungry birds. So unless your lawn is completely overrun, you could consider giving them a stay of execution.

They added: "Leatherjackets are part of the garden ecosystem and are an important source of food for birds, particularly starlings, so its best to tolerate them if possible."