Q. We have patches of yellow and brown grass appearing when the weather is dry. We don’t have a dog and we’ve been following your aeration and scarifying suggestions. What else could be the cause and what can we do?
A. Crane flies (daddy-long-legs) lay eggs in turf in late summer, the grubs – leatherjackets – hatch and during winter and spring feed on the grassroots and stems. This may be the cause of your patches in summer. Another sign of their presence is starlings pecking at the lawn. Water a patch of lawn and cover overnight with polythene sheet. In the morning look for 1” long legless grubs. In the autumn water in an insecticide to be rid of them.