The beetle grubs that ate Welles Park have been dispatched with insecticidal efficiency. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

The use of chemicals to treat a grub infestation in Welles Park led some people to question whether there weren't natural alternatives. Why not let skunks take care of the problem? How about setting loose a flock of backyard chickens?

An infestation of beetle grubs has decimated a huge swath of Welles Park in Lincoln Square. (Patty Wetli / WTTW News)

A freak grub infestation has laid waste to roughly one-third of Welles Park’s 15 acres in Lincoln Square. The scope of the destruction — which the Chicago Park District is working to address — is so out of the ordinary, even experts say they’re stunned.