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JANUARY 18
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2024
Four Seasons opens at Gallery 1710. See Page 17
Residents chafe under beetle that’s targeting Tsawwassen lawns PHIL MELNYCHUK p m e l nyc h u k@ d e l t a - o p t i m i s t .co m
A Tsawwassen resident is grateful that, so far, her lawn has escaped the plague of European chafer beetles that are devouring some of her neighbours’ lawns and turning them into mud pits. But Kirsti Mattson is wondering why the City of Delta doesn’t help with controlling the nasty pest. “I’d like the city to take charge of the situation,” Mattson said, adding she wants better communication and says the city should explain to residents what it’s doing and
consider an eradication plan. Mattson says that more than a dozen homes nearby on 10A Avenue have had their lawns dug up by raccoons and crows that are looking for the creepy, white beetle larvae, about 1.5-centimetres long, that live just below the surface. The larvae hatch in June and in turn munch on the grass roots throughout the fall, winter, and spring, destroying lawns from below. “We don’t know why we escaped,” she said of her lawn noting that across the street, her neighbour had to replace their lawns entirely.
JIM KINNEAR PHOTO
Tsawwassen resident Kirsti Mattson says the European chafer beetle infestation is devastating lawns in her neighbourhood. She said one neighbour has dug up his entire lawn and replaced it with turf but, “we have no idea if he’s going to
have the same problem again next year.” Once a lawn is infested, the beetle larvae can be killed by either
applying microscopic nematodes that kill the larvae. However, specific steps and conditions must be followed for the process to work. And that requires regular watering and for the homeowner to get a watering permit, Mattson points out. She said it shouldn’t be up to residents to bear the cost of fighting the pest. Another option is applying a biological pesticide called Btg, permitted under Delta’s Pesticide Use Control Bylaw. So far, her lawn is unaffected, and she doesn’t know why, but she said that if her lawn does get
ruined, she’ll replace it with gravel. She said people spend hours working on their landscaping. “All of us have beautiful lawns and gardens, but I’m beginning to think that maybe we shouldn’t be having lawns in Tsawwassen anymore, which would be sad,” she said. Nearby residents have discussed it and have come to a consensus that they’ll give it one more year and if the lawns are still damaged, they’ll just put down gravel to replace the lawn. CONTINUED: see P6
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