Residents across Metro Vancouver are waking up to a familiar but increasingly severe autumn sight: their once-manicured lawns transformed into a chewed-up mosaic of dirt and torn turf. The culprits behind this seasonal destruction are local wildlife, including crows, raccoons, and skunks, all engaged in a relentless hunt for a favourite meal—grubs.
The Chafer Beetle Boom: A Feast for Wildlife
According to Douglas Justice, the associate director of the UBC Botanical Gardens, the region is experiencing a peak season for the invasive European chafer beetle. The beetles fly in June, seeking out well-lit areas like those under street lamps or during a full moon to lay their eggs, preferably in mowed grass where the larvae can easily feed on tender roots.
"The crows are working the day shift, and the raccoons and the skunks the night shift," Justice remarked, describing the round-the-clock assault on local greenspaces. The grubs emit a strong scent, and when wet fall weather saturates the soil, they migrate closer to the surface, creating what Justice calls a "festive fall buffet" for animals fattening up for winter.
Why 2025's Damage Is Especially Severe
While the phenomenon of animals digging for grubs is not new, the scale of destruction in the fall of 2025 is notably worse. Justice attributes this to an insect population cycle, suggesting that a very successful chafer beetle flight in June has led to a current boom. "I think what’s happening is that we have a lot of chafers, and they’re close to the surface, and so there are a lot of different predators that are going for them, and this is what’s making a mess," he explained.
The problem is compounded by another invasive species. Daniel Forrest, a PhD candidate at UBC’s Institute for Resources, Environment, and Sustainability, notes that the Japanese beetle has similar egg-laying habits in lawns. He has observed an increase in pest control signs targeting both beetle species over the last three seasons, indicating a growing challenge for homeowners.
Managing the Mess and Looking Ahead
The extensive damage, documented in locations like a townhouse complex in Port Moody, B.C., on December 6, 2025, highlights the ongoing struggle between urban landscaping and natural wildlife behaviour driven by invasive species cycles. Experts point to the wet weather driving grubs upward and the subsequent predator activity as the direct cause of the torn-up turf seen across the region.
For residents, the torn lawns are a temporary but messy consequence of these ecological cycles. The situation underscores the broader impact of invasive species on urban ecosystems and the continuous adaptation of local wildlife to available food sources, turning suburban yards into prime hunting grounds each fall.
