Close to 750 permits have been issued to Tri-Cities residents for lawn watering exemptions in an effort to combat the chafer beetle.
Last month, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody announced they would allow residents treating their property with nematodes to water outside the restricted times for a three-week period.
Nematodes are effective in battling the beetle and work best when applied to thoroughly watered lawns during the chafer grub’s most vulnerable stage, which is generally between July 1 and Aug. 15.
Residents applying for the permits must fill out an application form indicating the size and location of the affected areas on their property along with proof they have purchased nematodes.
So far this season, Coquitlam has issued 300 permits while PoCo has issued 199 and Port Moody 249.
But if the hot dry weather continues, the cities may cease issuing new permits while nullifying those that have already been issued, according to Steffanie Wariner, Coquitlam’s manager of environmental services.
“To date, we have processed approximately 300 permits for nematode application,” she said in an email. “Residents are, however, being advised that these permits will become null and void should Metro Vancouver elevate to level three the watering restrictions.”
Currently, the region’s lawn sprinkling regulations are at stage 2, allowing residents to water their lawns in the morning one day a week.
But unseasonably hot and dry weather has put a strain on Metro Vancouver’s water reservoirs and the region has indicated that stricter regulations are possible before the summer is out.
The European chafer beetle was first spotted in New Westminster in 2001 but has since spread across the Lower Mainland, including Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam and Port Moody.
The beetles do not damage lawns but the raccoons, crows and skunks that eat the beetle grubs generally have to tear through the grass to get at them.
In Coquitlam, 8% of the city’s parks and public spaces have been affected by the bugs and repairing the damage could cost thousands of dollars.
Nematodes can be purchased from most garden centres and landscaping stores but gardening experts say that the best defence against chafer beetles is a healthy lawn.
Port Coquitlam and Port Moody are also offering lawn watering exemption permits through their city websites and more information about the insects can be found at www.portcoquitlam.ca/chaferbeetle, www.coquitlam.ca/chaferbeetle and www.portmoody.ca/chaferbeetle.
