How do I identify a grass grub infestation and treat at this time of year on a large rural lawn which appears to be turning to mud rapidly. 

Ways to identify a grass grub problem in lawns are:

• Dead patches, the lawn starts yellowing and dying.
• Birds, especially starlings, suddenly visit and start digging up the lawn.
• Grass grub damage is most obvious from March to July when the grubs are feeding.
• Large clumps of lawn may come away when pulled.
• To further investigate, dig up a square of lawn to a spade depth (20cm), turn the soil over to check if grass grub are present.
• The best time to treat grass grub are early spring and autumn, when the grub is near the soil surface and before it emerges as an adult beetle in spring.
• Talk to your local garden centre, hardware store or farm merchant store for a suitable soil insect control product.