How to Get Rid of Leatherjackets: Natural Ways to Protect Your Lawn

To get rid of leatherjackets, water leatherjacket nematodes onto moist lawn soil between late August and October, when soil is around 10 to 12°C and the grubs are young. Follow up in spring if damage continues. In colder months, soak affected patches, cover them overnight with black plastic, and remove the grubs from the surface by hand or leave them for the birds.

Yellow patches spreading across the lawn, grass that lifts like a loose carpet, and starlings stabbing at the turf every morning. If that sounds familiar, there’s a good chance you have leatherjackets. Knowing how to get rid of leatherjackets comes down to timing more than anything else: the right treatment at the wrong time of year does very little. This guide covers how to confirm you have them, whether you need to act at all, and the natural methods that work, including what to do if you spot damage over winter.

What Are Leatherjackets?

Leatherjackets are the larvae of crane flies, better known as daddy longlegs. They’re greyish brown, tubular grubs up to around 3cm long, with tough, leathery skin, no legs and no obvious head. They live just below the soil surface and feed on grass roots and the bases of plant stems.

The Leatherjacket Life Cycle

Understanding the life cycle is what makes every method below work, so it’s worth a minute:

Leatherjackets or Chafer Grubs?

Both cause similar lawn damage, so check before you treat:

• Leatherjackets: grey or brown, tubular bodies, no legs
• Chafer grubs: creamy white, curled into a C shape, with a brown head and six legs

If you find chafer grubs instead, you’ll need chafer grub nematodes rather than a leatherjacket treatment.

Signs of Leatherjackets in Your Lawn

• Yellow or brown patches that spread and often die off completely
• Grass that pulls up easily because the roots have been eaten
• Crows, magpies, rooks and starlings pecking at the lawn, leaving small round holes
• Seedlings and small plants in flower beds collapsing after being cut through at soil level

How to Check for Leatherjackets

There are two easy ways to confirm it:

1. Dig a small test hole. Lift a square of turf at the edge of a yellow patch and look in the top few centimetres of soil.
2. Soak and cover. Water a damaged area well in the evening, then cover it with black plastic sheeting, such as an old compost bag. Lift it the next morning. If leatherjackets are the problem, you’ll find them on the surface underneath.

Should You Get Rid of Leatherjackets?

Not always. There are around 350 species of crane fly in Britain and most of them never touch your lawn; many feed on decomposing organic matter and help recycle nutrients. Even the root feeders are an important food source for starlings and other birds.

A few leatherjackets in a lawn are normal and the grass usually recovers on its own. It’s worth acting when patches are spreading, the turf is lifting, or seedlings are being lost. In a wildlife friendly garden, the aim is to bring numbers down to a level the lawn can cope with, not to wipe them out entirely.

How to Get Rid of Leatherjackets Naturally with Leatherjacket Nematodes

Nematodes are the most effective biological control for leatherjackets. These microscopic worms, Steinernema feltiae, are mixed with water and watered onto the lawn. They seek out leatherjackets in the soil, enter their bodies and release bacteria that stop them feeding within days and kill them within about a week. The nematodes then multiply and move on to find more grubs.

For nematodes to work, you need:

• Warm enough soil: around 10 to 12°C, depending on the product. Check your pack.
• Moist soil: water the lawn before and after applying, and keep it damp for the following couple of weeks.
• The right timing: the main window is late August to October, when young grubs are near the surface and most vulnerable. A follow up treatment can go on in spring once the soil warms up.

One thing to bear in mind: Steinernema feltiae isn’t exclusive to leatherjackets and can affect other insects in the soil. Rather than treating the whole garden, focus on the damaged patches and the turf around their edges, as grubs spread outwards from them.

Our leatherjacket nematode options:

You’ll find the full range in our nematodes collection.

Bringing Them to the Surface

The soak and cover method isn’t only for checking. It’s also a simple way to reduce numbers without any products at all. Water the affected area thoroughly, cover it with black plastic overnight, then lift it in the morning. Pick off the leatherjackets or leave them out for the birds. Repeat every few days on badly affected patches.

Encouraging Natural Predators

Starlings, rooks, crows and magpies all feed on leatherjackets, as do ground beetles, and hedgehogs and frogs will take them too. The birds do leave holes in the lawn, but they’re doing a lot of the work for you. Supporting them through the rest of the year, with feeders, water and shelter, gives you a free and ongoing form of control. Take a look at our ranges for garden birds and hedgehogs if you’d like to make your garden more welcoming.

What to Do About Leatherjackets in Winter

If you spot damage over the colder months, the soil is usually too cold for nematodes to work. That doesn’t mean you’re stuck:

• Confirm the cause with a test hole or the soak and cover method on a mild day.
• Flush and remove grubs by hand, or leave them on the surface for the birds.
• Go easy on the lawn. Avoid heavy foot traffic on damaged patches while the ground is wet.
• Plan a spring treatment. Have nematodes ready to apply once the soil warms, usually from mid April, then follow up with a preventative treatment the following autumn.

How to Repair a Lawn Damaged by Leatherjackets

Lawns are resilient, and small patches often recover on their own once the grubs are under control. For bigger areas:

1. Rake out dead grass from the damaged patches.
2. Aerate to improve drainage and help new roots establish.
3. Top dress with a thin layer of good quality soil or lawn dressing.
4. Oversow with grass seed and keep it moist until it establishes.

Spring and early autumn are the best times to reseed, so plan repairs around your nematode treatments.

How to Prevent Leatherjackets

• Apply nematodes preventatively in late summer to early autumn, especially after a wet autumn the year before.
• Improve drainage. Damp, compacted lawns suit leatherjackets, so aerate regularly, particularly on heavy clay.
• Keep the lawn healthy. A well fed, regularly mown lawn copes with low numbers of grubs far better than a stressed one.
• Check new turf. Leatherjackets can arrive in newly laid turf and build up over a couple of years before the damage shows.

Wrapping Up

Leatherjackets can do a lot of damage to a lawn, but they’re far from unbeatable. Confirm what you’re dealing with, decide whether the damage is bad enough to act on, then match your method to the time of year: nematodes while the soil is warm, hand removal and the birds while it isn’t. With a well timed treatment, a little lawn repair and a garden that welcomes natural predators, most lawns bounce back within a season. When you’re ready to plan your next treatment, browse Garden Wildlife’s leatherjacket nematodes and get them ready for spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the best time to treat leatherjackets?

Late August to October is the main window, while grubs are young and near the surface and the soil is still warm enough for nematodes. A second treatment can go on in spring once soil temperatures rise to around 10 to 12°C.

Will leatherjackets come back every year?

They can. Crane flies lay new eggs every late summer and autumn, so a lawn treated one year can be affected again the next. A yearly preventative treatment is worth considering if you’ve had a bad infestation.

Can I leave leatherjackets for the birds?

Yes, and for light infestations that’s often the best approach. Starlings in particular rely on leatherjackets as a food source. The trade off is some pecking damage to the lawn, which usually recovers.

Is there a chemical treatment for leatherjackets?

There are no chemical treatments for leatherjackets available to home gardeners in the UK. Your options are biological pest control with nematodes, removing grubs by hand, and encouraging natural predators.

Are leatherjacket nematodes safe for pets and wildlife?

Yes. They’re safe for children, pets, birds and mammals when used as directed. As they can affect other insects in the soil, it’s best to treat affected patches rather than the whole garden.

Will my lawn recover from leatherjacket damage?

In most cases, yes. Small patches usually grow back once the grubs are under control. Larger areas may need raking, top dressing and oversowing to recover fully.

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