Lawn Diseases
Best Grub Killer: Two Actives, and One Aisle Full of Wrong Ones
MSU names six actives that should not be used for grub control at all — and some bags sold as grub killers contain exactly those. Two molecules do the work.
Grub Preventive (granular)
Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer Review
★★★★☆ 4.4/5
our editor rating how we score4.5/5 from 12,340 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.
$18–$24
Typical price · 5,000 sq ft per bag; label claims up to 4 months of protection
Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.
The one product on this shelf that extension guidance actually names for grubs — and the one people most often apply too late to work.
Our Verdict
Chlorantraniliprole is the active both Ohio State and Penn State name for preventive grub control, and Ohio State gives it the longest residual in the homeowner category at up to 12 weeks, which is why it can go down as early as late May. That makes GrubEx the correct purchase for one specific reader: someone acting BEFORE the eggs hatch. It is not a rescue product. The listing itself says to apply in spring or early summer and describes killing grubs while they are young, so if you have just cut a flap of sod in September and counted fifteen large grubs, this bag will not fix that — you need a curative, and the two are not interchangeable. Bought in May, it is the best-supported option here. Bought in October, it is next year's insurance at best.
✅ Pros
- Chlorantraniliprole is the active extension guidance names for prevention, not a label claim we had to take on trust
- Longest homeowner residual — Ohio State gives it up to 12 weeks, so timing is more forgiving than the 8-week actives
- Granular and spreader-applied; no mixing, no sprayer to calibrate
- Lower acute toxicity to bees than the neonicotinoid preventives it competes with
⚠️ Cons
- Preventive only — it will not rescue a lawn with large grubs already feeding
- Applied in autumn it does almost nothing, which is exactly when most people buy it
- Treats the whole lawn, where a confirmed problem is usually patchy
- Pointless without a count first: most lawns never reach the treatment threshold
Product type
Grub Preventive (granular)
Active ingredient
Chlorantraniliprole 0.08% (granular)
Price range
$18–$24
Coverage
5,000 sq ft per bag; label claims up to 4 months of protection
Best for
Preventing grubs in a lawn with a history of them, applied late May through mid-summer
our editor rating
4.4 out of 5
Where our facts come from
Label read on EPA's label database
EPA Reg. No. 538-306
We opened this product's accepted label on EPA's own Pesticide Product Label System — the strongest source available for what a product is registered to do.
What we found when we read it
Label read 2026-08-02 on EPA PPLS. EPA Reg. 538-306, chlorantraniliprole 0.08% — our record previously named the active without a percentage, now recorded. Note Scotts has sold several GrubEx formulations on DIFFERENT registrations over the years (538-303 was a Grubex 2 with a different active), so the registration number rather than the GrubEx name is what identifies the chlorantraniliprole product.
Where this page and the container disagree, the container wins — the label is the legal authority on rates and restrictions. How to read one yourself.
Where This Product Matters
Matched against each state's actual disease, weed and pest pressure.
Alabama
Alabama hub →White grubs
Arizona
Arizona hub →White grubs
Arkansas
Arkansas hub →White grubs
California
California hub →White grubs (masked chafer)
Colorado
Colorado hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle, established in the Denver area)
Delaware
Delaware hub →White grubs — Japanese beetle and masked chafer, and the sandy Sussex soils make egg-laying easy
Florida
Florida hub →White grubs
Georgia
Georgia hub →White grubs
Hawaii
Hawaii hub →Billbugs and white grubs
Idaho
Idaho hub →White grubs, a lighter pressure here than in the humid Midwest
Illinois
Illinois hub →White grubs (masked chafer and Japanese beetle)
Indiana
Indiana hub →White grubs (scout from July, damage shows in September)
Iowa
Iowa hub →White grubs (masked chafer)
Kansas
Kansas hub →White grubs from masked chafer, May and June beetles and Japanese beetle
Kentucky
Kentucky hub →White grubs
Maine
Maine hub →White grubs generally — with the caveat that in Portland and South Portland the lawful response is an organic one
Maryland
Maryland hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle heartland)
Massachusetts
Massachusetts hub →White grubs (European chafer and Japanese beetle)
Michigan
Michigan hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle larvae)
Minnesota
Minnesota hub →White grubs
Mississippi
Mississippi hub →White grubs
Missouri
Missouri hub →White grubs
Montana
Montana hub →White grubs, a lighter pressure here than in the humid Midwest
Nebraska
Nebraska hub →White grubs from masked chafer and May and June beetles
Nevada
Nevada hub →White grubs
New Jersey
New Jersey hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle larvae)
New Mexico
New Mexico hub →White grubs from May and June beetles and masked chafer
New York
New York hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle larvae)
North Carolina
North Carolina hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle larvae)
North Dakota
North Dakota hub →White grubs from May and June beetles, a lighter pressure here than in the corn-belt states
Ohio
Ohio hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle and masked chafer larvae — Ohio's #1 pest)
Oklahoma
Oklahoma hub →White grubs
Oregon
Oregon hub →White grubs (east side)
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle heartland)
South Carolina
South Carolina hub →White grubs
South Dakota
South Dakota hub →White grubs from May and June beetles, a lighter pressure than in the states east of here
Tennessee
Tennessee hub →White grubs
Texas
Texas hub →White grubs (June beetle larvae)
Utah
Utah hub →White grubs
Vermont
Vermont hub →White grubs generally — and in Vermont the product question is settled by law before it is settled by agronomy
Virginia
Virginia hub →White grubs (Japanese beetle and masked chafer larvae)
Washington
Washington hub →White grubs (present but rarely reaching pest levels here)
West Virginia
West Virginia hub →White grubs from Japanese beetle and masked chafer
Wisconsin
Wisconsin hub →White grubs
Wyoming
Wyoming hub →White grubs, a light pressure here compared with the humid Midwest
Common questions
Common Questions
How much does Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer cost?
Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer typically runs $18–$24, covering 5,000 sq ft per bag; label claims up to 4 months of protection.
What does Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer treat?
Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer targets White grubs.
What is the active ingredient in Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer?
Chlorantraniliprole 0.08% (granular), registered under EPA Reg. No. 538-306.
What is the biggest downside of Scotts GrubEx1 Season Long Grub Killer?
Preventive only — it will not rescue a lawn with large grubs already feeding
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