New Westminster will have to dig a little deeper into its budget in future years if it wants to tackle the European chafer beetle.
The European chafer has wreaked havoc on local lawns. During the grub stage, the grubs feed on the roots of grass, and animals like skunks and birds dig up the grass to feast on the grubs – ruining the lawns.
Since 2008, the city has helped residents combat the chafer by subsidizing the purchase of nematodes, which are microscopic worms that attack the chafer grubs. While residents redeemed 200 coupons for nematodes in 2008, that figure dropped to 48 in 2013 and 67 in 2014 – before soaring to 196 in 2015 and 200 last year.
“The current European chafer management program has an annual budget of $9,000, equating to 225 subsidized nematode packages available to the city’s residents. However, due to the rising cost of the nematodes, this will reduce the number of subsidized packages available to the homeowners in future years,” said a staff report.
It’s estimated that about 112 households will benefit from this year’s program, which provides a 50 per cent discount on the purchase of a maximum of two packages of nematodes at GardenWorks locations in Burnaby.
For more info on the subsidy program, go to www.newwestcity.ca.
