Early fall is a perfect time to start a campaign against the destructive copper garden beetle, also called the Japanese beetle.
This pretty copper-colored, hard shell beetle eats on anything pretty (or it seems so), especially roses and other flowers.
One method is to apply milky spore in the early fall when the soil is warm and grubs are munching grass roots. The soil must be 65 degrees or warmer. This spore kills the grubs by giving them milky disease, a condition that won't harm pets, birds, or any other animal. It might kill other types of grub, though.