How to use Dawn Dish Soap to Kill Grubs?

Joseph Gilpin
By Joseph Gilpin • Last Updated: June 24, 2022
Dawn dish soap for grubs - how to kill grubs using homemade solution of soap

Spraying dish soap can kill insects like grub worms, sod webworms, and cutworms. So yes, dawn dish soap kill grubs, being a home remedy and insecticidal soap. On the other hand, this is beneficial for the Japanese beetle grubs.

Once the water and dish soap penetrate through the beetles’ bodies, the affected ones will be killed.

By using insecticidal soaps, the white grubs will be killed instantly. There’s also a 24-hour residual effect.

Steps on How to Use Dawn Dish Soap to Kill Grubs

The mixture for killing lawn grubs can be possible if you use liquid soap or whatever home soaps.

People often squeeze a little bit of lemon, although it is unnecessary. It’s enough that there’s a dishwashing liquid for killing insects.

Follow these steps so you’ll learn how to use liquid dish soap to allow grub control:

  1. Mix 3 tablespoons of dawn liquid soap and one gallon of water.
  2. Carefully stir them to create soapy water.
  3. Spray the solution evenly onto the areas with brown grass and patches.
  4. Let it sit for an hour.
  5. Check if there are fewer grubs by digging a square foot of the treated area.
  6. If there are grubs that are still alive, continue spraying to kill grubs.

Here’s a Tip:

To make the solution even stronger, blend the dish soap, lemon and mouthwash together in a spray bottle.

Not all dish soap kill grass, and this is an alternative you can try doing. This insecticidal soap can prevent and even kill grubs without causing harm to your lawn.

Another solution you can try mixing is just a teaspoon of dish soap, adding vegetable oil and a cup of water.

How to kill grubs with dawn dish soap-min

What a Dawn Soap Is For

One of the uses of liquid dish soap is to examine the extent of the damage caused by grubs and look for them.

It would be best to be alarmed when you see 5 grubs or more in every square foot since that might be considered an infestation.

You need to use synthetic chemicals and other natural oils that serve as grubworm killers if that happens. Examples of natural killers are nematodes or roundworms and any kind of milky spore.

Dish Soap for Grub & Insect Control

Are you still wondering if dish soap effectively eradicates grubs away from your lawn?

While it’s not likely that grubs will be killed by the dish soap, digging a bit deep into the ground is an effective method to examine if there are any grubs left.

Testing Its Effectiveness

Although the efficiency of a laundry detergent or insecticidal soap has been proven to help your infested lawns, it has some downsides.

During spring, you begin to see brown spots in your grass when grub worms start damaging it.

Controlling the grubs with dawn dish soap is okay if the harm is minor and confined.

Dish Soap Against Beetles

On another note, the beetle life cycle will be benefited from this lawn care method, helping larvae mature into adult beetles.

And once they grow up, you can now get rid of them by spraying the dish soap solution onto their exoskeleton. It prevents them from laying eggs and controlling future infestations.

Conclusion

While dish soap or dishwashing liquid effectively removes grubs in your lawn/vegetable garden, they might still threaten the plants themselves.

Be careful when using dawn dish soap to kill grubs because it can negatively affect your garden and lawn!

Frequently Asked Questions

Look at the following queries frequently asked so you might know more about dish soaps that kills insects.

When Is the Best Time for Eliminating Grubs?

The best time for lawn care is between early spring and summer. The Japanese beetle larvae are alive and kicking during that time until they mature into adult Japanese beetles.

Being able to control their infestation means that your lawn will be secured from the damage brought by the coming seasons.

Does Dish Soap Help the Growth of Grass?

This is an urban legend, so probably not true. Surfactants in dish soap cause grass to dry up and die.

Dish soap may be a cost-effective hack, but it is not suggested for lawn care and boosting grass growth. Most dish soaps will kill insects and weeds and result in dying grass.

Dish washing detergent is not safe in your garden, especially if fruit-bearing plants are around.

Can a Dawn Dish Soap Kill Lawn Fungus?

Lawn fungus is a strong indicator of the poor drainage in your soil and that there’s too much shade going on in that area.

In that case, try planting shade-tolerant grass seeds, so when they grow, there wouldn’t be much fungi growth, and you can still take care of your lawn.

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