The label is the law. Read your product's label before you mix or apply; the rates here come from the labels listed under Sources.
- Active ingredient
- Chlorantraniliprole (CAS 500008-45-7)
- Chemical class
- Anthranilic diamide; IRAC Group 28 ryanodine receptor modulators.[1][2]
- Mode of action
- IRAC Group 28: Ryanodine receptor modulators: diamides[2]
- Signal words
- Acelepryn Insecticide: none required[1]
Scotts GrubEx 1 Season-Long Grub Killer (registered as GrubEx III): none required[3]
Acelepryn is a professional turf product
The Acelepryn label covers professional applications to residential and commercial lawns and sports fields. Its storage section says it is not for use or storage in or around the home.[1]
Neither Acelepryn nor GrubEx is for sale or use in Nassau, Suffolk, Kings or Queens counties of New York (Acelepryn allows it there only under a special local need registration). Elsewhere in New York, setbacks from water apply.[1][3]
What GrubEx covers
Besides white grubs of Japanese beetles, European and masked chafers, May/June beetles, Oriental beetles, Asiatic garden beetles, green June beetles and black turfgrass ataenius, the GrubEx label lists billbug grubs, annual bluegrass weevils, armyworms, cutworms and sod webworms, and suppression of chinch bugs.[3]
Crane fly larvae, including the European crane fly, are on the label for a fall application. In landscape beds with flowers, groundcovers, shrubs and trees, it is spread at the same rate to kill the listed grubs.[3]
Where it is used
With Acelepryn, timing beats rate for grubs: apply before egg hatch, and use the higher rate in late August or September, when grubs are older and less sensitive.[1]
Never apply more than 38.3 fl oz of Acelepryn per acre per year, which is about 0.88 fl oz per 1,000 sq ft. Space applications at least 7 days apart.[1]
GrubEx goes on once a year at 2.87 lb per 1,000 sq ft, between April and early August, and is watered in with about an inch of water to activate it.[3]
On trees and shrubs, soil-applied Acelepryn can take 60 days or longer to move through woody stems, so treat before lace bugs, aphids or birch leafminer show up.[1]
Don't apply through irrigation systems or by air. It may leach to groundwater where soils are permeable and the water table is shallow.[1]
Products and registrations
Label rates
| Product | Use | Pests | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acelepryn Insecticide | Home lawns, golf courses, athletic fields and other recreational turf | White grubs (Japanese beetle, European chafer, masked chafers, May/June beetles, black turfgrass ataenius and others) | 0.18–0.37 fl oz product per 1,000 sq ft[1] Equal to 8 to 16 fl oz per acre. Apply early April to early September, then irrigate right away or let rain carry it into the soil. |
| Acelepryn Insecticide | Home lawns, golf courses, athletic fields and other recreational turf | Turf caterpillars: armyworms, cutworms and sod webworms | 0.05–0.09 fl oz product per 1,000 sq ft[1] Equal to 2 to 4 fl oz per acre. Hold off watering or mowing for 24 hours afterward. |
| Acelepryn Insecticide | Landscape and nursery ornamentals, shrubs and trees | Leaf-feeding caterpillars such as bagworms and tussock moth caterpillars | 2–16 fl oz product per 100 gallons of water[1] A full-coverage foliar spray. Add a spreader/sticker for hard-to-wet foliage such as holly, pine or ivy. No more than 16 fl oz per acre per application. |
| Scotts GrubEx 1 Season-Long Grub Killer (registered as GrubEx III) | Home lawns and landscape beds (GrubEx granules) | White grubs (Japanese beetle, European chafer, masked chafers, May/June beetles, Oriental beetle and others), billbugs, annual bluegrass weevil and lawn caterpillars | 2.87 lb product per 1,000 sq ft[3] One application a year, spring to early summer, watered in with about 1 inch of water. The label lists a fall application for crane fly larvae. |
How to apply it, step by step
1. Protective gear
- The label carries no signal word and asks for no protective gear: used as directed, it says, the granules present no hazard to people or pets.[3]
- Wash your hands thoroughly after spreading it, and take off and wash any contaminated clothing before you wear it again.[3]
2. Before you spray
- The label limits it to residential lawns and landscape plantings, and it isn't for sale or use in Nassau, Suffolk, Kings or Queens counties of New York.[3]
- Put it down in spring or early summer (the label's window runs from April to early August); it works best applied before grubs hatch.[3]
- Spread it on a dry lawn, never on waterlogged ground, and pick calm weather with no rain predicted for the next 24 hours so wind or rain doesn't carry it off the lawn.[3]
- Keep it out of vegetable gardens and from under fruit or nut trees grown for food. In New York State, stay at least 100 feet from any lake, pond, river, stream, wetland or drainage ditch.[3]
3. Mixing
- There's nothing to mix. Load the granules into a broadcast or drop spreader set from the settings on the package; with a spreader made by another company, calibrate it to that maker's recommendations.[3]
4. Applying
- Spread 2.87 lb per 1,000 sq ft, so a 14.35 lb bag covers 5,000 sq ft. In landscape beds the rate is the same, about 0.29 lb per 100 sq ft, scattered over the soil or mulch; permeable weed barriers can stay in place.[3]
- From the handheld shaker bottle, hold it tilted at 90 degrees, walk at a steady pace shaking it side to side, and lay the rows down so they overlap by a few inches.[3]
- Make no more than one application a year.[3]
5. After you spray
- Water it in right away with about an inch of water to activate it, and sweep any granules on the driveway, sidewalk or street back onto the grass.[3]
- People and pets can go back on the lawn once the grass has dried.[3]
First aid
- The label prints no first-aid section. Its phone number, 1-800-543-TURF (8873), is Scotts' consumer helpline for product questions.[3]
Storage, spills and disposal
- Store the bag in a clean, dry place; reseal an opened bag by folding the top down and securing it.[3]
- Put an empty bag in the trash or recycling. For a partly full one, ask your local solid waste agency how to dispose of it, and never put unused granules down an indoor or outdoor drain.[3]
From the safety data sheet
- Like the label, the SDS gives no signal word, and it says the gray granules aren't classified as hazardous under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard.[4]
- Rat tests of the product found LD50 values above 5,000 mg/kg and an inhalation LC50 for dusts and mists above 5 mg/L over 4 hours; it was non-irritating to rabbit skin, may cause mild, mechanical eye irritation, and didn't sensitize guinea pig skin.[4]
- For granules in the eyes, flush with plenty of water while lifting the lids now and then, take out contact lenses, and get medical attention if irritation develops.[4]
- If some is swallowed, rinse the mouth with water and give a conscious person small amounts of water to drink; don't induce vomiting unless medical personnel tell you to.[4]
- Sweep or vacuum spilled granules into a labeled container and keep them out of drains and waterways. The sheet lists it as not regulated for shipping.[4]
Safety and environmental hazards
People
Neither Acelepryn nor GrubEx carries a signal word, and both labels say that, used as directed, the product presents no hazard to humans. Acelepryn handlers wear long sleeves, long pants, shoes and socks, and nursery workers observe a 4-hour restricted-entry interval.[1][3]
Pets
Both labels say it presents no hazard to domestic animals when used as directed. Keep people and pets off a sprayed area until it has dried; GrubEx's label lets them back on once the grass has dried.[1][3]
Bees and pollinators
This label has no bee warning. It recommends Acelepryn for IPM because it doesn't directly impact predators such as ladybird beetles, lacewings, minute pirate bugs and predatory mites.[1]
Fish and water
Toxic to aquatic invertebrates, oysters and shrimp, and it can reach groundwater where soils are permeable and the water table is shallow. Acelepryn's label rates it high for runoff to surface water for months and says to skip applications when rain is forecast within 48 hours; GrubEx's says to sweep stray granules back onto the lawn.[1][3]
Common questions
- When should Acelepryn go down for grubs?
- Any time from early April to early September for preventive control, ideally just before egg hatch. Water it in right after application.[1]
- How much Acelepryn per 1,000 square feet?
- 0.18 to 0.37 fl oz for white grubs and 0.05 to 0.09 fl oz for turf caterpillars. The single-application maximum on turf is 0.46 fl oz.[1]
- Is chlorantraniliprole safe for pets on a lawn?
- Both the GrubEx and Acelepryn labels say it presents no hazard to domestic animals when used as directed. GrubEx's label lets people and pets back onto the lawn once the grass has dried.[1][3]
- How much GrubEx do I need?
- 2.87 lb per 1,000 sq ft, so the label's 14.35 lb bag treats 5,000 sq ft. Apply it once a year, in spring or early summer, and water it in with about an inch of water.[3]
Sources
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “Acelepryn Insecticide label, EPA Reg. No. 100-1489 (EPA-stamped, Jan. 11, 2024).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/000100-01489-20240111.pdf (accessed 2026-10-06)
- Insecticide Resistance Action Committee, “IRAC Mode of Action Classification Scheme, Version 11.5 (Feb. 2026).” irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/ (accessed 2026-10-06)
- U.S. EPA Pesticide Product Label System, “GrubEx III (Scotts GrubEx 1) label, EPA Reg. No. 538-306 (EPA-stamped, Jan. 11, 2012).” www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/ppls/000538-00306-20120111.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)
- The Scotts Company, “GrubEx I Safety Data Sheet (The Scotts Company, SDS 320000020851, version 1.0, issued November 11, 2025; EPA Reg. No. 538-306, the page's GrubEx product).” api.scottsmsds.com/v1/document/0EA01DA3DA981FE0AFE7AADBAD797F08.pdf (accessed 2026-11-08)