Nederlands 
Français 
Deutsch We often get the question; how should I control leatherjackets? My lawn is going down! Help! Now we have developed an all-natural remedy with very good indirect action against leatherjackets; Organifer Grass Insects Concentrate. Let’s say up front that this is not a pesticide but a natural plant enhancer. Grass Insects concentrate can be used for harmful grass insects, including Leatherjackets but also Leatherjackets. The emelt is the larva of the crane fly. It lays its eggs in August and September in preferably long grass.
Leatherjackets can cause a lot of damage.
At night, the leatherjackets are active and emerge from then ground. And then it begins! They start eating all the green parts of the grass plant. This is in contrast to the Engerling, which feeds mainly on the roots of the grass. Collectively, the larvae can cause enormous damage. On top of that, larvae are sought-after food for moles but also birds. These will open the hunt for the larvae and thereby
eats mainly from the underground parts of the grass plant, causing the grass plant to die. Collectively, the larvae can cause a lot of damage, on top of which the larvae are sought-after food for birds and moles. When hunting the larvae, they too can cause a lot of damage to the grass
What can you recognize leatherjackets by?
✔1 to 4 cm in size
✔Footless larvae
✔Gray brown color
✔No clear headline
✔Found in the top layer
✔Eating green parts of the grass
Adult Emelt 
Leatherjacket damage in the lawn
How can I detect leatherjackets?
When in summer and fall flights of crane flies observed over your lawn, this is a good indication of leatherjackets. Dying grass is another indication with foraging birds. To detect the insects, you can use two methods.
First, you can carefully open up the lawn. Looking into the soil gives an instant answer. Carefully poke out a piece of the grass on the side of an affected section. The leatherjackets are usually located in the upper 5 cm.
In addition, you can try to detect the leatherjackets by wetting a dark plastic and placing it on the lawn. The insects that emerged above the ground at night do not retreat in the morning. When flipping the plastic you will find the leatherjackets, if they are present in your lawn you can control them.
Controlling leatherjackets, larvae of crane flies
Leatherjackets is the collective name for the larvae of several species of crane flies. Only two of these species occur in the Netherlands. Both species lay their eggs in the grass from which the leatherjackets are born. At a time, the female lays between 300 and 400 eggs. That this soon leads to a plague seems obvious to us. The damage they cause directly is a bare lawn. This is because during the night, the leatherjackets come up and eat from the blades of grass.
The long-legged mosquitoes that spawn the harmful leatherjackets are:
- Tipula Oleracea
- Tipula paludosa
Long-legged midge a good indicator of leatherjackets 
Mating crane flies
Life cycle of the emelt
Leatherjackets hatch after only two weeks. The larvae have a brown, leathery body without legs. With the insects, it is hard to tell which is the front or back. Like many larvae, they can push and pull parts of their bodies in and out. This is also how they move around.
The Tipula Oleracea presents two generations of larvae in one year, the Tipula Paludosa only one. Once pupated, the long-legged mosquitoes live for about 1 month during which they will be mostly above or on the grass. Particularly at the end of summer, you will also regularly find them in your home. In fact, the insects are attracted to the light
The emelt is present throughout the winter until as late as May, then the larva goes into summer hibernation and emerges in early July. Soil types are not a limiting factor for leatherjackets, therefore leatherjackets can be found everywhere in Dutch soils.
Damage caused by leatherjackets
Leatherjackets cause damage to the lawn by eating the blades of grass. In humid weather, they also come to eat grass above the ground after dark. The parts of the grass they bite off they then pull into the ground. The grass, because it can be depleted, will die. Whole sections of the lawn may have been eaten bare. This damage is called the primary damage.
Leatherjackets, like grubs, are popular food for several species of birds. The birds open up the lawn to pick up the larvae. An upturned lawn is the collateral and thereforesecondary damage of the presence of leatherjackets in the lawn.
Controlling Leatherjackets
Leatherjackets are difficult to prevent. However, short cut grasses do not like the Long-legged Mosquitoes. So prevent the grass from growing too long. Insecticide application has been banned for several years. Given the large number of birds that eat the larvae, a very good move. For combat, this does have some implications. Organifer Grass Insects consists of specifically acting herbal extracts and has an indirect preventive effect in repelling soil insects. The product supports the natural restorative capacity, acts caring, nourishing and plant-strengthening in case of external influences, in the soil and at the roots. Organifer Grass Insects is of natural and vegetable origin and is non-toxic to humans, animals and the environment.
What can you do against the larvae?
Clearly, a resilient crop faces fewer problems from outside threats. It is therefore important that your crops are resilient to possible infestations by pests and diseases. Organifer’s products support the natural restorative capacity of the soil and crop. Start building a resilient turf, sports field and/or lawn in a timely manner by applying Organifer Grass Insects Concentrate.
Repair bare spots in lawn
To restore bare spots in the lawn or turf, we recommend overseeding with grass seed. Recovery by Organifer concerns the ideal repair formula for renovation/ overseeding of all types of lawns following the Fast Repair approach. Super-fast germination and establishment in existing grass due to its tremendous competitiveness. Fills bare and open spaces at breakneck speed. The result is a total makeover at a manageable cost. Every lawn becomes like new again.
